Phase
by streco
Summary: One wasn't like the others. One was the kiss of death, his sharp teeth sinking into my tender skin. They remained like razors in my neck and I heard another shout, only this one was of coherence. “No!” Alice shrieked, and that was when everything stopped.
1. Prologue: Eternally Yours

**Phase  
**_Prologue: Eternally Yours_

Girl, what's come between you and me?  
Look right through me, I'll let it go,  
I can't help this feeling anymore;  
I won't go anywhere, maybe you'll see me.

We are, we are the shaken, we are the monsters  
Underneath your bed, yeah, believe what you read.  
We are, we are mistaken, we are the voices  
Inside your head, yeah, believe what you see.

It came as no surprise; you bring me back to life.  
Believe me; you bleed for me, I'll bleed for you;  
I caught you walking through walls, drowned with applause  
From the world that makes me crazy.  
"Monsters" Matchbook Romance

The room was dark and airy, as he'd requested, in hopes that my desirable scent wouldn't tempt him more than was necessary, more than was safe. It was night outside, a precaution—if they were caught, no one would suspect a thing… just a bad dream, a figment of the imagination, or a hallucination brought on by fear of the dark. Around me were three people I'd come to trust with my life; three people I trusted more than my family, my friends, or anyone else I'd ever known.

The oldest male, wise beyond his appearance, was a doctor—probably one of the most unconventional you could ever dream up. The scent of blood was a good one to him, intriguing. It called his name, but he resisted. In fact, he resisted in such an ironic way: he was the best doctor in the town of Forks. Go figure.

Next to him, her back turned a bit, studying the space, was a petite, Italian-looking female. Her skin was flawless, and her hair was black and sharp-ended. Her eyes, a crisp gold, the goldest I'd ever seen them, darted from corner to corner, and then to the door, which was bolted shut. Then they met mine, and filled with concern, and with love—two things I'd received endlessly from this family.

And across from her, behind me, with his arms wrapped around my waist, and his chin on the top of my head, was the love of my life. He was handsome, a voice like honey, and a body as cold as ice cream, but just as delicious. Seventeen until the end of time, but one hundred and four and counting simultaneously. I was the most irresistible thing on the planet to him, and yet he couldn't have me—not in the way he wanted. Every moment I spent with him was a moment of danger, but each perilous second I spent by his side was better than anything else I would ever experience.

Edward Cullen was a vampire. And so was his sister, Alice, and his father, Carlisle. Outside the bolted door was the rest of his family: Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, and Esme, waiting with bated breath for me to emerge, something different, something monstrous—something parallel with them.

My breathing was shallow, and my hands felt clammy. "Nervous?" his voice was like molasses in my ear, and I shivered. I didn't need to nod; he could feel it in the blood in my veins and in my heartbeat, two things he'd never posses again. "I won't hurt you," he promised. "If I cannot keep that promise, Carlisle will. This is what you've wished upon yourself, love. I'm simply helping make your dreams come true, and mine as well, though I could certainly live without.

"I want to be yours eternally," I recited, something I'd told him over and over again in the days leading up to this.

"You always will be," he responded, as per usual, and placed a soft kiss on the top of my head. "No matter what happens tonight. You, Isabella Swan, will always remain mine, forevermore, and whatever may come in this life, or nonlife, of mine."

Alice was studying us, looking sympathetic, but afraid as well. Carlisle was preparing various things that I was too afraid to ask about. Edward was stroking my hair, but I could tell that he was just as nervous as I was. He'd saved my life once before by extracting venom from me, tasking my delicious blood, as he said. But now he was potentially _taking _my life, injecting venom in me, and attempting to resist the blood while it was there.

He was afraid he'd go all the way.

Edward Cullen could kill me.

Part of me, three quarters, maybe, knew he wouldn't. This was the Bella that gave her heart too much credit, and trusted with her emotions, not her brain. The other one fourth, the sensible, intelligent Bella, knew that she was probably screwed and could quite possibly be murdered by the love of her life on this day, that could either make or break her; start or end her life.

Pros: live with Edward Cullen for eternity, infinity and beyond, and absolutely love it. The best thing that could ever happen to me, worth every single ounce of pain I would surely endure.

Cons: be killed on the spot, never see Renee or Charlie again, never have kids, never grow hair, never breathe, never eat, never have a heartbeat, have to hunt animals, stay away from people for a long time.

Well, let's see. No matter how much you weighed it out, how much the cons sucked, the single pro was enough to make it all worth it.

"Okay," Carlisle announced, his voice just above a whisper. "I think… _I'm _all ready to go. Bella? Edward?"

"Alice?" I asked in an undertone, surprised at how dim and raspy my own voice was. I tried to wet my mouth, but failed. "Can you see… anything?"

Frowning in fear, she shook her head. "No," she whispered back.

My body shook as I exhaled, and then tears formed in my eyes. I was crying. Another thing I'd never do if this succeeded.

"Bella?" Edward asked, his voice soft and sweet, concerned. He ran a finger along my chin and wiped the tears away. "Bella, we don't have to do this—I don't want you to cry… please don't be sad, Bella." His voice seemed helpless, and I could tell he hated seeing me this way; upset, distraught, afraid. Few things frightened me on this level, but the one thing that did was dying and never getting to see Edward again, never being able to kiss him again.

"Edward?" I turned around and reached up to his shoulders, and his eyes, the same tone of gold as Alice's, if not more so, searched my face. "Can… can you do one thing for me?"

"Anything," he promised, and I could tell he wasn't thinking when the word escaped his lips.

"When… this is over," I motioned to the room around me, "if I don't make it out… you have to promise me something." This was a difficult thing to ask him, and I knew he wouldn't follow through, but maybe, if I made him promise… He nodded, and I continued. "You'll move on." I had to try a few times to get this phrase out, and sobs hitched in my throat. "You'll… you'll get past this. But you'll always love me, okay? I just… I'll never stop loving you, no matter what. When I said I was yours eternally, I meant it. Don't kill yourself, but move on. Find another girl to spend your life with… but I'll always love you."

By the end, I was a mess, collapsed against his chest in a fit of tears. One hand was stroking my back and the other was stroking my hair, muttering comforting things in my ear. "For eternity, all the years that I live, I will never, ever, ever forget you. There isn't a way that it would be possible. You'll always be my Bella. And… I will attempt to keep that promise." His own voice choked. "I love you, Isabella Swan. With all of my heart. And as long as you don't forget me, I won't forget you. Ever."

He kissed the tears from my cheeks and cupped my face in his hands, pressing his lips against mine in a crash of emotion. The kiss was deep and romantic, something I never wanted to end. It proved he loved me. It proved he always would. And it proved that no matter what happened, we were together.

"You have to promise," I ordered.

For a moment, his face was inches from mine, our noses brushing and our eyes locked in a gaze I wished would never end. He studied me, his lips tight together. So many emotions were scrawled across his expression: endearment, horror, nervousness, lust, desire, love, anxiousness, just to begin, all on one face, all in one heart. He was enduring so much because of me.

"I promise," he whispered, and pulled me into a hug.

The room was silent for half an instant, and then I whispered in his ear, "Do it."

He stopped breathing—something that he didn't need to do anyway.

"_Now_," I demanded, and pressed my face into the crook of his neck.

He didn't move.

"Edward Cullen," I growled. "Do it, _now_." I pushed my lips against his, shoved my tongue into his mouth, and pressed my body against his, trying in every way to activate those senses he'd held back. When I pulled away, I stared deeply into his golden eyes.

Then, all at once, his face was in _my _neck, and he was trailing kisses along it.

One wasn't like the others.

One was the kiss of death, his sharp teeth sinking into my tender skin. In an explosion of fire and ice, and an astonishingly vast amount of pain, I was shooting out of my body and into a world of agony, writhing along the floor as the white-hot venom shot through my veins, into every portion of my body. A loud, high-pitched noise filled the soundless air, and then I realized it was me, emptying my lungs of oxygen, then realizing I was unable to suck in more. Like razors, he remained in my neck, and I heard another shout, only this one was of coherence.

"No!" Alice shrieked, and that was when everything stopped.

* * *

It's midnight. I just watched Adam Pascal and the cast of RENT on the Tony Awards. I am feeling pretty effing spiffy right now. Haha. Well, this is my second Twilight fic ever…. The first one's probably going to be deleted. I really like this so far, actually. I'm sure it's overused, but I really wanted to write about this. So… here I am.

Review, please?


	2. Pulse

Phase_  
Pulse_

"Cause where you are is where you'll be, always wanting everything.  
It's all the same that you can't ignore, cause all you want is just to be more.  
It's creeping up again; it's a haunting memory."  
"Matter of Time" Cartel

In those few moments in which nothing happened, I knew I was dead: my breath had stopped coming and my mind had stopped functioning properly. Every muscle in my body loosened, and it was easily the most peaceful time of my life (afterlife?). Then I saw the light—faint at first, but then all around me in a flash, encasing me, making me one with it.

Appearing in front of me were two golden gates, around four times Emmett's height, glimmering in a natural glow that lacked an obvious origin. My body was light, mere feather dust in a breeze, and for an unknown reason, I desired to be inside those gates. I would only realize later that I was standing at the gates of heaven, the single paved crossroad between life and death.

I'd grown up a Catholic, but in the loosest possible terms of the word. Due to Renee's faithfulness, I'd done First Communion and CCD, and occasionally tagged along when she went to church. I believed there was a God, sometimes would drop him a line, but that was the end of my relationship with him.

As I stood here, in a place only dreamt of by many, I felt guilty. I did _not _belong in such a blissful place. I was your every day sinner, moseying on down the road of good intentions, hoping not to be smote by the God above. I'd always thought I'd go to purgatory; either that or return to Earth as a new person, reliving the whole vicious circle of hell that would be life without Edward.

Edward. The name clicked in my head, and I recognized it. At that instant, a flood of memories came swirling back to me, too fast for me to catch them all, and I paused. Edward. He was my love. He'd sunken his teeth into me to change me into one of his own kind, Alice had screamed, he'd still been biting—but then what?

Considering how I was standing here, floating on cloudlike grounds, staring at golden arches that _weren't _of McDonald's, I figured that the worst imaginable had happened—I'd died. Edward had gone too far, indulged in his desires, and killed me.

My mind wrapped around this carefully, looking at it from all sides. _Impossible_, I thought, and shook my head. _Carlisle wouldn't have let it happen. Edward wouldn't have killed me. He loves me too much… _

Then I was on my knees, the sobs climbing up from my throat and into my mouth, where they fell out onto the ground before me. It was happening so fast; our romantic kiss, the first one we'd been able to enjoy without fear, and then his teeth, sharp and fast, on my soft neck, sinking in, infecting me with the venom that would flow through me for eternity, switching my blood, my appearance, my species. The absence of feeling, and now, the absence of life?

Heaven's gates slowly opened, and then I was aware of how incredibly thrilled I was to be there, and I advanced quickly. Even with the absence of Edward, I was ecstatic, after being morbidly depressed moments before. I didn't want to leave this place, ever. From the distance, I saw people begin to emerge, a yellow glow across their faces. Everyone wore white robes, and the first to greet me was my Uncle Leo, whom I'd loved like a second father.

Though he'd been killed in a car accident when he was only thirty-four, I still remembered each aspect of his face, which hadn't changed over the course of the many years he'd been up here. "Bella!" he exclaimed, and threw his arms around me. He smelled like the cologne he'd always used on Earth, and I melted into his embrace. "What happened?" he pulled back and studied me. "Last I saw, you were with that vampire boy—"

I froze, and nearly passed out at the same time. I covered his mouth with my hand, trying to avoid the faces of the many others who'd crowded around me. "Shh!" I hissed through my teeth. "How did you know that?"

Knitting his eyebrows together in confusion, he peeled my fingers away slowly. "There are no secrets in heaven, my dear," he said softly, and motioned to the world around him. "Everybody knows everything. We can see all."

I frowned. "Yeah… the vampire boy… he bit me too much, I guess. I'm too delicious." I laughed, but it was a legitimate laugh, something that I didn't think I'd be able to do without Edward around. I didn't feel sad, simply… lost. Missing my other half. My better half.

"Well… if he bit you, that means you don't have much ti—"

"Isabella," came a quiet voice from behind me, and I almost didn't turn because they didn't use my nickname. However, I did, and was staring at a young girl, maybe sixteen. She was beautiful: her hair was golden and wavy; her eyes were deep pools of green that never seemed to end. She reached for my hand and pulled me away from the crowd of people who were still trying to get a word in.

"I will say this quickly, for I am aware that you do not possess a large quantity of time here." Her voice had a slight British tinge to it, and she spoke in formal English. "My name is Emily Winthrop. I was sixteen years old when I was brutally murdered, and it was during a rather… difficult time for my family. I was living in Vermont, a beautiful place, and my family was very poor. My younger brother had polio, something very difficult to fight, and we were trying our best to save him.

"My family sent me on a mission—to buy us as much food as I could with the money they gave me. I was handed a quarter and told to spend it all. When I made it to the store, I gathered as much as I could in my arms, and put the money on the counter. Then, as an afterthought, I grabbed a second loaf of bread off the shelf, and took off into a run out of the store. The owner, who was a heavyset man, obviously did not chase me. When I made it to the back alleys, I was certain I was safe.

"Out of the darkness appeared a man. He was around six feet, and quite honestly the most beautiful thing I had seen in my life. He was incredibly attractive, and I remember smiling up at him when he walked toward me. We were inches apart, though he was a good foot taller than I. 'You stole something,' he said to me, and I remember the cleanness of his voice, the beauty of it. Without letting me respond, he had bent down and kissed me on the cheek. Following that, he pushed me against the brick side of the house nearest to us and sank his teeth into my neck, then proceeding to suck the blood out of my body."

She silenced, shivered, and wiped a tear from her cheek. "I am aware of what you wish. You wish to be with him forever, for all times. You love him, and I can understand that. But; can you not see? So many women follow him, Isabella, and he knows he can get them. So many girls wish for him. You have him. Do you really know that you mean that much to him? That you are not just another he can get? Do you trust that he would not put up a façade of love to simply get you where he wanted you, and to suck your delicious blood? Once all the plans were made that you may not return, he could easily kill you, and dispose of the evidence."

My brain was whirring now, in a state of denial. "No," I whispered, and then cleared my throat, repeating it louder. "No. Edward _wouldn't _do that to me. He _loves _me."

"You wish to be turned into a _monster_." Her voice cracked on the last word, and she bit her lip. "Wish it you may. I am in no position to stop you. It must be rather intriguing, interesting. I wish you had thought about it more, Bella. You never could have understood exactly what was to come. You should have learned more, Bella. Not be so naïve. This will be the most difficult fight of your life, and I apologize for that. I apologize for Edward. Be it a shame if you are truly here forever, or if you're just—"

It all happened at lightning speed, then—too fast for me to grasp.

Heaven's gates, so inviting, faded.

I felt another cry of anguish escape my throat. I hadn't known how inviting they were until they were gone. Somehow, they'd lured me in, a barely-Catholic girl, in love with a vampire, and now they were gone, to not return. I would not rest in peace… it was a false alarm. My heart shattered—where was I going?

The picture perfect scene before me folded, and I was amidst darkness. Something about the darkness, however, frightened me. Something was waiting to happen… it was too peaceful.

Just like that, without warning, my skin lit on fire.

I wasn't sure who'd done it—Edward, to dispose of my body? Alice, to give me a quick and painless death? Carlisle, so he wouldn't have to look at the girl who tore his family apart ever again?

"_Edward!_" I cried, my voice climbing octaves as each letter sound came out. My body writhed against the floor but I was pinned down—something was pressing me against the floor, which magnified the flames that danced upon each of my pores. My throat released shrieks and I helplessly tried to flail about, to put out the fire.

There was a relieving feeling against both of my cheeks—his hands? An ice pack? I wasn't in any condition to know. Every semi coherent thought that entered my mind was flushed with every singe that my skin took. "_Edward!_" came the cry again, and I felt tears stinging my cheeks, and sobs choke out of my mouth.

There was a crash. A roar. Snarls. It could've been imagined, but all I could focus on was the pain, the indescribably, ridiculously horrid pain, the pain that felt it would never end. Seconds could have easily been years.

_Make it stop! _Something inside of me screamed. _End it!_ My hands traveled up to my throat and wrapped around them, attempting to remove the air from my throat, but then my hands were stuck down, pinned by something, and my feet followed it. This opened my body up completely, which caused the pain to multiply, if such a thing were humanly possible.

Then again, was I considered human?

A second agony replaced the fire in a rapid change, but didn't provide for a moment of relief—instantly it was switched to ice, a hard ice, almost a burning hot ice. My skin wasn't cold, but freezing—not in a way that made me shiver, a way that made me squirm in pain.

I released another shout of despair and tried to find something, anything to comfort me, but nothing was there. Edward was gone; his cold hands had left my face some time ago.

My senses were in overdrive, and each sound I heard was magnified, if I could make it out and translate it into words. Around my helpless pleas of release from this pain, and aside from my vicious thoughts of wishing to die, I could hear Alice screaming; terrified about something that was happening. Carlisle was barking orders, and I could hear Edward roaring. Somehow, I sensed that he was standing guard for me.

There were endless hours of more suffering. I could not begin to explain to you how horrible it was; it's something you have to experience yourself. I understand now why it's considered the thing most memorable in your human life.

Then, just as quickly and violently as it had come, the pain was gone; sucking whatever was left of my energy with it. My ears still caught each noise made in the room, but this time without distraction. Outside the large bolted door, I could hear Rosalie and Jasper's hushed conversation, but couldn't understand it. I groaned and curled up into a ball on my side, ignoring the screaming pain in my neck. "Edward…" my voice was a raspy whisper. My throat ached, and I was aware of how much good a tall glass of water would do me.

That was when there was a constricting sensation in my chest—and then, just like that, it was gone.

My heart had stopped beating.

* * *

I thought I did okay with this chapter.

I was so shocked by the amount of positive reviews; thank you so much! I was afraid to write _Twilight _because I didn't want to disgrace Stephenie's work, but here I am, and being accepted. Thanks so much for that, guys!

_NOTE—_I am sorry if I offended anyone by making Bella a tad bit Catholic, and trying to portray heaven. I thought this was important to the story line—being pulled away from heaven must be painful in itself—and I decided to write it in. Please don't write hate reviews or anything if you aren't Catholic—it's FanFiction for a reason. I hope it doesn't affect your outlook on this story.

Emily's monologue wrote itself, she seems like a great character, for a minor one. Please, no negative reviews.


	3. Echo

Phase_  
Echo  
_  
"Don't your feet get cold in the winter time; the sky won't snow and the sun won't shine,  
It's hard to tell the night time from the day, and you're losing all your highs and lows,  
Ain't it funny how the feeling goes away…"  
"Desperado" The Eagles

The cold floor felt so good against my skin, though it felt like it was rapidly cooling. I was still unaware of everything that was happening, all I knew was that I was Bella, Edward was who I was seeking, and the floor was where I was.

When my eyes opened, even the dim light of the moon from outside stung, so I shut them quickly and released a short moan. Then, someone was at my side, their cold hands on my cheeks. "Bella, stay put," a deep voice ordered, and I connected it with the name Carlisle. I was still aching, but not nearly as bad.

"What's wrong?" I rasped, and I felt him stand up, towering over me.

"Werewolves," he breathed. "Jacob is the least bit happy that you're… changed."

"Changed?" I questioned, and that was when the rest of the information fell on top of me. Vampires. I was a vampire. I had been changed into one. "How—how long have I been here?"

"Three days."

I blinked. "This has been going on for three days?"

"No," he shook his head. "They didn't know you'd been converted until earlier today, and couldn't find us until just now. Recently."

I pictured him from behind my eyelids, his handsome face, and his gentle fingers on my shoulder. "Edward…"

"Edward…" he inhaled deeply. "Edward's trying to control himself."

My eyes popped open, forgetting about the pain. "What? What's wrong? What did I do?"

"He's never seen you in so much pain before," Carlisle whispered. "He almost couldn't handle it. And…" he stopped for a moment, and then continued, "he almost kept going. All the way."

My eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"His teeth were in your neck… for quite a while. To get a lot of venom in; make the change process faster. But then… Alice saw that he was going to keep taking your blood, and eventually kill you, so she shouted and went to pull him away, only to find that _somehow_, he'd detached himself and stood up." He shook his head and chuckled lightly. "How the kid does it, I'll never know. He loves you a lot, Bella. More than you could ever understand. Well, maybe you will, once tempted by human blood. Which, by the way—are you thirsty?"

I nodded, but then shook my head. "I need to see Edward." Part of me was hurt that he'd leave me when I was in such pain. Carlisle seemed to read my face.

"He didn't leave because he doesn't care about you—I think I just clarified that," he smiled genuinely. "He left because he was throwing a fit, seeing you this way. He was blaming himself for putting you through all the agony. Alice is with him. If you open the double doors—not the bolted ones, the ones at the other end of the room—and take the second door on the left, you'll find them. I'm sure he'd love to see you."

"Before I go…" I paused, surprised that my necessities came before Edward. Then again, Edward _was _a necessity. "Is there any water here?"

He lifted an eyebrow, but said nothing. "First door on the right."

I nodded gratefully, and he helped me stand. My bones felt tense, and my body was exhausted, but I got myself out the door and into the bathroom, where I poured myself a small paper cup of water and put it to my lips.

To my surprise, it didn't have the thirst-quenching feeling I'd hoped for. Instead, it made my stomach churn. Then, without warning, the water came hopping back up my throat and emptied back into the sink.

I frowned, and tried again. The same thing happened.

I looked up and ran a hand through my hair. Was this normal?

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I caught something moving in the room. I turned behind me, but saw nothing. When I turned around again, I shouted, and dropped my paper cup, the water spilling across the floor. It wasn't another person… it was me. I was staring into the mirror.

My fingers flew to the glass, tracing the outline of my now flawless face. By no means had I been strikingly beautiful before—as a human—but now, was I ever. No cockiness, either. My skin was a few shades lighter, but my face was radiant; my eyebrows had a bit more arch, my lips were a few shades redder.

Then I realized the difference in my eyes; what once had been a deep chocolate color was now blood red, something that horrified me again, and made me scream. My hands tightened on the glass that I'd been tracing, and it shattered, the shards dropping onto the grungy linoleum.

"Bella?" came a choked cry from outside the door, and vicious knocking. "What's going on?"

"Edward," I said brokenly, and the door crashed open.

Edward's eyes found me and he pulled me into his chest, which didn't seem cold anymore. Though I was now a vampire and a different species, I was still only five foot four, and he was still six foot two, so I could bury my face into his chest. Water was leaking out of the corner of my eyes, something that shocked me.

"Why am I crying?"

"You're a newborn," he breathed into my hair, and I could tell he didn't want to waste time explaining anything, "you're still part human. Bella, I'm so sorry, can you ever forgive me? It was foolish of me, and self-centered, I should have thought of you, and how much would endure—this is only the beginning—" words blubbered from his mouth, and only my lips could silence him.

When we parted, I was back in his arms, and I could feel his body shaking. Only then was I aware that he was dry sobbing, his body rocking back and forth with mine entangled in it. "Edward, don't worry," I tried to soothe him, getting shaken up myself while he expressed his emotion, "I'm okay. It was worth it… I'm here, I'm safe."

"Edward," came Alice's voice from behind his hunched over form. "The wolves—they're closing in on the—_Bella!_" She launched herself past Edward and flew into my arms, holding me tight. "I'm so happy to see you! Oh, it was so scary for a second, and we didn't know what was going to happen. My visions were changing so fast… and Edward," she flashed him a look, and then exhaled, "Edward controlled himself. I don't know how he did it."

"It's okay, Alice," I told her, rasping again. "It's just that… we're here now. It's fine."

"What about the wolves?" Carlisle intervened, walking into the hall. Deciding there were too many people in the bathroom, Edward took my hand carefully and led me out of the small room, and Alice followed.

She'd snapped out of reunion mode and now she was all business. "They're closing in on the building—Rosalie and Emmett located them outside the vicinity. I can't see anything, so I'm basically useless. Jasper's trying to calm them down, but it's only working to a certain extent. All the other wolves are reading Jacob's thoughts, agreeing with his reasons to be angry, and it's overwhelming." With grace, her body turned to face me, and she gave me a sympathetic look. "This is turning Jacob's world upside-down."

"But—he didn't even imprint on me!"

Alice's smile was sad. "He didn't have to. Jacob didn't imprint on you because it didn't happen. He simply fell in love with you, Bella. With the wolves, it's not a matter of only falling in love when imprinting; it's just that, when you _do _imprint, there's no going back."

I shook my head. "What's next; hobbits?"

Next to me, Edward grinned. "You've read too many books."

Suddenly, I was aware of how tired I was, and again, how thirsty. "Why is my throat so dry?"

Edward's body froze. He mumbled a curse. "She needs blood," he reasoned, and then grabbed my wrist, leading me down the hallway all the way. "They're knocking at the big bolted door—I don't think they know this one. They shouldn't be able to…" he paused, and shook his head. "Are we locked in?"

It was odd to hear a tone of defeat from Edward Cullen; it seemed, at least to me, that he was too perfect to produce a plan with a snag. Or any of the other Cullens, for that matter—they were too mapped out, too ready, too experienced for anything jamming to happen to them.

Alice shook her head. "No, of course not. We're never completely locked in. There's always a way out."

"Where's Esme?" I asked, suddenly alarmed.

"She's at the other exit," Edward said. "I've got a hold on her thought. The last place they're trying to make it through is the back; they can smell your blood more strongly in the main hall there."

"If we do our best to sneak out and then race back to Forks, we should be able to—"

I nearly choked. "Charlie!"

"Bella, the last person the Quileutes are going to go after is Charlie. He hasn't done a thing wrong, so don't worry," Edward reassured me, and then looked at Alice. "Alice, have you forgotten? The treaty has been broken. By changing Bella, we are no longer safe in any environment. The war we have begun will not be a simple one to end."

"Thank you, Kimosabe," Alice responded in a deep voice, saluting him.

I had to giggle, and she cracked a smile of her own.

"Alice," Edward seethed, "this is not a matter of laughter—we need to get Bella safe somewhere, and she needs to feed."

"Is it weird that I'm tired?" I asked, and yawned.

"Not at all," Edward pulled me closer to his body, and I still molded perfectly into his side. "Last sleep—a common thing for extremely recent newborns. You've got enough human blood in you to make for one last good night's rest."

Without warning, he took me into his arms, and began to hum my lullaby under his breath. I melted into his chest, into oblivion. For I knew that when I opened my eyes, it would have already have begun.

* * *

Eh, extremely uneventful chapter. A filler, more than anything.

To clear up some questions from last chapter:

Bella _did _really go to heaven. Emily was one of the "bad people" Edward killed during his rebellious stage, between 1927-1931.

FYI – this is on the alerts list of 14 people; I'd love it if you all reviewed. I just want to know what you like and dislike, so I can try to alter accordingly.

Thanks so much for reading! Review, please!

**By the way – **I'm posting my play list for this story, by the chapter, on my profile. Just if you want to check it out; you may really like the bands. Or not. I'm still coming up with most of the songs, so bear with me. When it's complete, or when I post one, you'll be notified.


	4. Defeat

Phase_  
Defeat_

"Time is gonna take my mind and carry it far away where I can fly,  
The depth of life will dim my temptation to live for you.  
If I were to be alone, silence would rock my tears;  
Cause it's all about love and I know better; how life is a waving feather."  
"Dancing" Elisa

My final sleep was uneventful; in fact, it passed so fast that I almost forgot I'd even _slept_. When my eyes opened, I felt extremely rejuvenated, and very content—I was staring up at Edward's heavenly face, which was always a magnificent thing to wake up to. However, his teeth were clenched and his eyes were serious, looking forward fervently. I shifted a bit in his arms, and he looked down at me, forced a smile, and put me on my feet.

"That was quick," he said, and directed me to take a left down a hall I'd never seen before.

"How long was I out?"

"Five minutes?"

"_Really?_"

"You're humanity's slowly being used up—you technically shouldn't even be sleeping. It's all right; but that's the last time you'll sleep. Remember it."

"What's going on?" I was alert now, though my body was aching from the thirst that bit at the back of my throat. "Do we have a plan?" I staggered to remain standing due to fatigue, but he wrapped an arm securely around my waist. "Where… where are we?"

"South part of the building," he answered tightly. "We've got a bit of a plan… but so far it's nothing great. Get out of here, and run." He paused and looked at me, and then looked toward where Alice and Carlisle were having a quiet conversation. With my acute senses, I would've been able to hear it, had I not been so focused on Edward. "Have you ever tried outrunning a dog?"

My thoughts flashed back to my tenth birthday, and my uncle's big German shepherd, who'd decided that he wanted to play tag with me. I gritted my teeth and looked down at my feet, trying to hide the nonexistent blush that would never spread across my cheeks again. He tiled my chin up. "Habit—and yes, I have. Haven't we got, like, superhuman speed, though?"

"So have they. However, we really haven't got much else of a choice, unless we'd like to develop flight anytime soon."

"We're chancing it," I translated.

He studied my features for a moment, and then turned away. "Precisely."

Just by the tone of his voice, I could tell that something was bothering him; something to do with me. The way he was looking at me—or, rather, trying _not _to look at me—was something that frightened me. It had never happened before, nor had I ever wished it to happen. Yet, here I was, now finally his eternally, and he was looking at me like that first day we'd stumbled upon each other. Like he wanted nothing to do with me.

Surprisingly, this hurt me a lot more than I'd thought it would. "Edward?" I asked, my voice a whisper. "What did I do?"

Keeping his jaw set, he shook his head. "Nothing, Bella." His voice was cold, and I shivered.

"Edward, what's—"

"Nothing," he snapped, and I took a step back, shocked. His eyes read apology, and he sighed. "I'm sorry, Bella, it's just—"

"Forget it," I told him. "We'll talk later." I walked away from him and met up with Alice and Carlisle, who were still going back and forth. Something about Alice's visions—she couldn't see a thing, since the wolves were involved, so she was trying to figure a way around it. Carlisle was trying to figure out a map of the building and decide which way to escape from.

After a few moments of conversation, Carlisle nodded his head once. "We're going out the west door," he said, and passed the three of us. We followed dutifully, not asking questions, simply abiding by his rules. We wound down hallways, and I was surprised by how many different

"Wait." Edward stopped walking, and left us for a moment. I could tell he was reading the wolves' thoughts when his face twisted into anger—probably Jacob. "What if one of us waits here, and the other two take Bella and escape? We'll leave the door open, and some of them are bound to get whoever's left."

"Edward, that's ridiculous," I seethed. "I'm no longer the damsel in distress. I'm prepared to fight for myself."

"You're ready to fight Jacob? And Sam, and Quil, and Seth?"

I froze.

"Exactly," he pointed out.

"But aren't the wolves are going to chase after whoever leaves?" Alice asked, cocking her head to the side. I could tell she was cooking up an idea in her head, one that was probably unsafe, but probably very effective.

He paused. "Well… that's what their thoughts are reading, yes. But maybe—"

"What if we left Bella here, in the basement, and the rest of us left? They'd follow us, which would give someone time to shoot back, pick her up, and run the other way." She closed her eyes, probably attempting to see it happen before her eyes. "As long as we could get the dogs to follow us, it would work."

"Absolutely not," Edward shook his head, clearly enraged, "and that's _final. _We are _not _leaving her here. Say the dogs turn around and smell her still in here? She's done. Jacob may show a bit of mercy, but his friends won't. While his friends can feel his anger, they don't see the human side of Bella, like Jacob does, anymore. To them, she's simply an enemy, an easy thing to destroy. She's the reason the pact is destroyed, and they'll take any chance they can to take us apart." His face was twisted into a scowl towards the end. "Especially because of the way Jacob feels about me," he added in a growl.

"Jake would _never—_"

"He would now, Bella," Alice said sadly, a frown appearing on her face. She turned to her brother. "Edward, we both know that there'll be enough confusion to make the dogs chase directly after us. Bella has never run before, and she won't know where to go—the last thing we need is for her to get lost out in the woods. If we leave her here, we know where she is, and we'll be able to come back for her, even in the worst of cases. If she gets lost—"

"I'll follow her—" he stopped, and bit his lip, looking down. He looked… sad. Why was that?

"Edward?"

Horror-stricken, I looked at Alice, who was staring at Edward with concern. Then, it was comprehension, and she turned away from him, back at me. "Bella. I'm going to show you where the basement is… when you're down there, don't do _anything_. Don't move, don't breathe. We'll be back to get you." She grabbed my arm and dragged me toward a flight of stairs behind a door I'd barely seen; it was camouflaged well.

"What's wrong with Edward?" I demanded once the heavy stone door was shut.

As if she'd known the question was coming, she sighed. "I don't think I should tell you."

My beatless heart fell like a brick, and I stopped walking.

She yanked my arm, and I started to walk again. "It's not bad," she quickly covered, coming to the end of the stairs and pulling me across the room into a small cranny. "I just think it's something he should tell you. Don't worry, it's not like he hates you or anything. And he's not leaving." A pang of emotion hit me, and she cringed. "Sorry, sorry. Just sit here, and we'll be back soon enough. If anything happens, we'll show up and kick some ass. Clear?"

I swallowed hard. "Crystal."

She gave me a kiss on the cheek and wave goodbye, and then she shot up the steps. I sighed, and then remembered the no breathing rule. Right.

What could I have already done that upset Edward? I'd been changed, something that he admitted to wanting for himself, though not for me. I was now with him forever. He hadn't killed me in the process, and now, I was beautiful. He'd seemed so happy when he'd seen me in the bathroom, and felt bad for putting me through the pain that I now realized was worth it all. I was a Cullen now. I was part of his family.

Absently, I spun the ring on my left hand and smiled, as I always did when I saw it. Our wedding day had been a great one. Alice had, of course, gone overboard planning it, but had, _of course_, done a beautiful job doing so. I'd told the entire family that I'd be visiting soon, though I was aware that it wouldn't happen. I'd cried, hard, and so had Charlie.

For that matter, there wasn't a dry eye at the reception. Jacob had found me and nearly crushed me in a hug, apologizing for everything he'd done, and how much he wished I'd remain human. I told him he was still my best friend, no matter what I turned into, be it a vampire or a toad.

And now, here I was, destined to a life of Edward all day everyday, something that I'd only dreamed of. He would be mine, I would be his, happy ever after, right?

I guess not.

I withheld my sigh and realized that I hadn't been checking if I'd been breathing or not. Crap.

That was when I realized the door upstairs had been thrust open, and someone was now traveling down the stairs. Not a werewolf, but a person. I nearly cried out Edward's name, thinking he had come to save me, but instead of pushing my luck, I kept my mouth shut and didn't breathe, like a good girl.

Then the person was on the floor, level with me, quickly doing a sweep of the area.

They stopped moving. I watched them do it, with my freakish vision. They were nothing more than a silhouette, but I couldn't tell who it was. Her hair was long. Rosalie?

They turned to face me and shuffled over as fast as they could. They bent down, stuck their face into my little hiding spot, and I shrieked. It was _not _Rosalie Hale. They weren't even female.

I, Isabella Swan, vampire, was staring into the face of Jacob Black, werewolf. My best friend… but now, my nemesis.

Quickly, I covered my mouth, and Jacob's breath stopped coming. A snarl rose in his throat, and then it was cut off, and he backed away, holding his head. As stealthily as I could, I escaped my hiding spot and went into a crouch, as I'd seen Edward do numerous times.

"Jacob," I said, and then noticed that my strict no breathing policy was sort of going to hell. "Jacob—I—please don't—"

"Bella," he whispered, and I could tell he was trying to control himself. His back was facing me, and he was leaning against a wall. "You—I can't believe you…" he was cut off by a cry from deep in his throat, and then I added it up: Jacob Black was sobbing.

"Jake!" I hurried over to his side, and felt my instincts acting up. My body wanted to be nowhere near him, but my heart wanted to help him. "Jake, I'm sorry, you know I had to do it—" my voice bubbled out almost incoherently. His shoulders were heaving, and had I been human, I would've been crying too.

"Bella!" he shouted, and then backed away from the wall, knocking me from my feet. He towered over my body, still monstrously taller than me. "You… you're a bloodsucker!" he turned his head violently, and I could see the veins in his neck creeping up to his head, throbbing where his temples were.

Now I was terrified, slowly backing away. "Jacob—don't—"

"_Bella!_" he leaped across my fallen form, and now his feet were at my head. My eyes closed and I prayed to whatever God I'd been close to joining, trying my hardest to not screech. I didn't need vision to know that he was phasing—I could hear his clothes ripping, and the vicious roars that were leaping out of his throat without warning. He let out a loud howl, and then a wolfy yell, and his paws were on top of me, trying to rip me apart.

Terror leaked into my brain, and adrenaline kicked in—my body flailed back and forth and I let loose a scream of horror. Petrified, I rolled out from under him and shot across the room, keeping my eyes on the predator that had once been someone I'd loved.

"JACOB!" I shouted, tearless sobs wracking my entire body. "Jacob, it's _me_, it's _Bella! _I'm not going to hurt you! Please, I just—don't—_Jacob!_"

Without mercy, he launched himself at my body, knocking me into the stone wall behind me. "Jacob!" I yelped, struggling against his huge frame. "Please, Jacob!" My vocal cords were raw from yelling. I was thirsty. My newly strengthened body was being pushed too soon, and I felt like my heart had been ripped into various pieces. I was going to die. Jacob Black was going to kill me, and I'd never get to see Edward again. Never get to kiss him. Never get to…

There was an inhuman battle cry, and then Jacob was sailing across the room, and Edward was in front of me, crouched, as I had been minutes before, ready for an attack.

Jacob was clearly still in battle condition, but instead, he lay there, phased, crying in canine form. His body heaved up and down and he whined, something that made me want to hug him, stroke his fur, tell him it was all okay. Which it wasn't.

When Edward turned around, I was still dry sobbing, and he wrapped his arms around me. "It's all alright, love," he promised into my neck, rubbing my back tenderly. "We'll talk about it as soon as we're safe."

Swinging me onto his back, he hurried up the stairs and out the door, and just like that, I was free from my hell, on my love's back, running to an unknown destination.

* * *

See my profile for the playlist; these lyrics fit ridiculously well.

FYI – I just realized that "phase" is also the word Stephenie uses when the Quileutes turn into wolves—that's not why the title of the story is what it is. The title is "phase' because that's what the moon does when it changes: it phases.

This is a particularly long chapter, I don't feel I did a great job with it, but I hope you guys like it. (:

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE GREAT REVIEWS! I LOVE YOU ALL.


	5. Welcome

Phase  
_Welcome_

"Woman, I know you understand the little child inside the man,  
Please remember my life is in your hands;  
And, woman, hold me close to your heart,  
However, distance don't keep us apart; after all, it is written in the stars."  
"Woman" John Lennon

Edward ran with me on his back for quite a long time—something that surprised me. How far could he possibly go without getting tired? We were running from the wolves, that I knew. I was aware they could follow scents, but for how long? Or was it more of a matter of where we went? There were no boundaries now; me being converted erased the limits on Quileute werewolves. Sighing, I buried my head into Edward's shoulder blade, listening to his even breathing, trying to lull myself into a sleep I knew would never come.

Finally, after what seemed like endless hours of blurred forest, Edward came to a clearing on a cliff and eased me off his shoulders, sitting in the dirt after he did so. When I turned to look at him, he was turning away, searching the dark horizon for something that I wasn't seeing.

"Edward?" I questioned, sitting and edging my way closer to him. "What are you thinking?"

He looked down, and then made eye contact with me. "What are _you _thinking?"

"I asked first," I pointed out.

He shook his head, and exhaled through his teeth. "You're… you're different," he began, and I'm sure he saw the look of horror on my face. The way he'd started frightened me, but he quickly dismissed negative thoughts of mine. "I still _love _you, Bella," he told me incredulously, and I felt myself start to breathe again. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "It's just… different. I miss how sweet you used to smell," he admitted. "I miss being a savior to you. I miss you being fragile, and how much I had to challenge myself. It seems…" he searched for the right word, "_evil_, even. But it's simply getting used to a difference. I presume I miss being almost godly to you."

So _that _was what this was about? "Edward?" I asked, and traced a smiley face into the dirt next to my ankles. "I hope you know that you'll _always _be a god to me. Always. And no matter how bad I smell now, I'm still Bella Swan. I'm still a klutz, I'm still unreadable, I'm still unique. I'm still the girl you fell in love with."

"I'm aware of that, love," he rolled his eyes, and then grinned and winked. "It's a mere adjustment that I'm not doing too well with."

"So that's it?" I asked him, probing for more lies hidden in his irises. "Nothing else you were keeping from me? You seemed… different."

"No," he shook his head. "I was still trying to get over how much pain I had caused you… I'm eternally sorry for that, Bella."

"All is forgiven," I waved a hand dismissively. "Where're the others?"

"They'll be meeting up here soon enough. They're giving the wolves a run for their money. Jacob shouldn't be opening his eyes for quite a while." As he said this, his own eyes narrowed into slits.

I gulped.

"Sorry, Bella. It was just… he was so intent on killing you," he croaked out, looking at me and pushing a lock of hair behind my ear. "I read his thoughts. He was so blindly angry… he couldn't remember _you_, Bella; he just saw the vampire aspect. Thank God I got there when I did…"

I nodded. "Well, tha—" my thank you was cut off by a loud howl—mine—and then I was leaning over my stomach, my head in my lap, feeling as if my abdomen were imploding, or something was being stabbed into it numerous times.

"_Bella?_" Edward's voice was molasses in my ear, but it didn't ease the pain. "Bella, what's wrong?" he was alarmed, and I didn't blame him for it.

Then came the fire in my throat—it was as if I was being bitten all over again, the hot venom coating my throat.

Suddenly, Carlisle was at my side, bent at my level.

"She needs blood!" he seethed, pulling me into a standing position. "Come on, Bella," he gingerly tugged me along, but I couldn't move. He swept me into his arms and carried me into the forest. "Carlisle!" he ordered. "Kill something!"

He placed me on the ground in the middle of the forest and darted off where I couldn't see him, returning when Carlisle did. When he reached me, he stood me up again and made me face the dead animal. It was a moose—a large one—and it was very clearly dead. Carlisle stood away, watching as it bled, and his eyes locked on mine. "Do what feels right, Bella."

That was a difficult thing to swallow (ha ha, vampire humor). Part of me said that turning and puking felt right. Another large part of me said diving in and feasting was a great idea, and that was essentially the thing that took over my body.

I snarled, something I'd witnessed Edward do millions of times, yet never imagined doing, and quickly attacked the moose, feeling the pain in the back of my throat ease as I sucked the coppery liquid from the animal. It tasted surprisingly good; like lemonade in the dead of summer. My venomous teeth sank into its flesh and meat, and I didn't feel like the monster I was. When it was gone, I sat back on my heels, content with the fact that I hadn't gotten myself messy.

Then I realized exactly what I'd done. I'd sucked the life out of an innocent animal. I'd just _consumed _something that had, until recently, made me dizzy. It didn't make me dizzy now, simply confuse with itself. My body and instinct were having an internal argument, and it was an odd thing to be in the middle of.

"Bella?" Edward questioned, and he came up behind me, wrapping his arms around me. "How are you feeling?"

"Are my eyes gold?"

He shook his head. "They'll be red for the first year… don't worry, it isn't as long as it seems," he added when he saw the look of horror on my face.

"Thank you, Carlisle," I said, turning to my 'father.' He smiled, and nodded.

"Of course, Bella. I want to make this easier for you."

We turned around and walked back to the clearing, where I, without a pause, lay down on the dirt. Edward lay next to me, pulling me close to his side. I rested my head on top of his rock hard chest, sighing in content. Together, we looked up at the stars, and I glared at the moon, which was getting smaller. "What happened?" I questioned, tilting my head to the side. "It was a full moon a little while ago."

"Phases," he explained, talking to me as if I were five. "Don't you generally cover the study of the moon in fifth grade?"

Though I wasn't looking at him, I was sure he was aware of my glaring. "Not like that, idiot," I spat at him, "I mean that it just goes so fast. Everything's changing on this planet really quickly."

"Including you," he whispered.

I cringed. "There's no way I can visit?" I mumbled under my breath.

Just like that, he was pushing me away, growling angrily. "Bella!" his tone was accusing. "I _told _you to get all of that in order! When you're with us, there's never any going back! I knew this was a bad idea," his voice was quieter now, dripping with rage. "This was bad. You want to go back—Bella, there _is _no going back!"

"I under_stand_ that!" I fired back, jumping to my feet, now angry as well, "I was just wondering if there was a _possibility_. Tell him that I got contacts, or something! Tell him I got surgery to make me incredibly beautiful!"

"You won't be able to _go _back, you'll be too thirsty for his blo—" he stopped, mid-sentence, suddenly realizing what I'd said. "Surgery for _what?_" He walked closer to me, his face matching his incredulous tone.

"Look at me!" I made sure I kept my voice down, now realizing that the wolves could be listening in on our conversation, or at least discovering where we were. "I'm _gorgeous_. Not nearly as gorgeous as Rosalie, but it's an improvement! Now I can at least begin to match _you_." My voice cracked and I sighed. "Before I was normal—a Plain Jane. And now… look at me. My face is perfect. My skin is flawless. My body is radiant. I finally feel worthy of you."

Even after my explanation, Edward's face looked confused. "You think you look different?"

"I _know _I do," I fought back.

He took a few steps closer, advancing on me. "Bella, you look exactly the same to me."

I scoffed. "Please, Edward. Don't lie to me."

Leaning in, he put his lips up to the bottom of my neck. "I'm not," he breathed, and his delicious scent wafted into my nose.

Then his lips were concrete against mine, quickly parting, as mine did. For once, he was not afraid, he did not shy away, and for once, I was allowed to do what I wished. We remained there, in each other's arms, intertwined, for a long time. Neither of us needed to breathe, and neither wanted to part. Edward was mine, I was his, and we'd be together for eternity, an idea that never tired in my mind.

When we finally did pull apart, I smiled and pressed my face into his chest, and he rested his head on the top of mine. His breath blew into my hair, and I grinned again. No matter what happened, as long as I had Edward, I could be a happy person, and that was that.

We heard voices behind us, and I opened my eyes and jumped in Edward's arms to see who it was. When I saw Alice and Jasper, I ran forward and gave both of them hugs, bubbling with happiness. "Thank you _so _much," I repeated over and over, unable to express my intense gratitude.

"It's fine, Bella," Jasper said, and grinned. "It's so great to be able to be around you and not feel like killing you."

Though any normal person would've taken this as an insult, I smiled wildly and winked at him.

When Emmett appeared out of the trees, I barely had time to recognize him before he ran at me, pulling me into his arms and spinning around. "Congrats, Mrs. Cullen!" he roared, and his deep laughter forced me to laugh along with him. Emmett. What a teddy bear he was.

When he finally put me down, Rosalie was behind him, actually _smiling_. I gulped, and she laughed. "Bella," she held out her arms and approached me. "Welcome to our family." When we were hugging, she whispered in my ear, "I'm sorry for the way I've acted around you… it's inexcusable. I never understood why Edward would do such things, but now I'm happy that he's no longer alone. You are no longer threatening our family, and I am sorry for my foolishness."

"It's fine, Rose," I said, trying not to sigh in relief, "I never wanted to threaten your family in the first place… I'm just the kind of person that attracts threats." My voice was sheepish, and she laughed, coming out of the hug. "Come on! Alice sees a storm coming—you can play ball with us!" she laughed and took my hand, pulling me toward where her family was standing, all looking a tad surprised.

"Esme!" I cried, and threw myself into her arms. "Thank you so much for allowing me to become a part of your family," I murmured into her hair, "I owe you so, so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"Bella," she laughed warmly. "It's fine."

"And so it begins!" Alice called in a ghostly tone from behind us, and then cackled evilly as a bolt of lightning cracked the ground miles away, immediately followed by the loud roar of thunder ripping across the sky.

Edward gave her an odd sideways glance, but said nothing of it. He made eye contact with me, saw my excitement, and grinned. "Play ball?"

* * *

I reread Twilight yesterday, and I have decided that my favorite scene in that book, and quite possibly all the books, is the baseball scene, and I wanted to write one for myself. Plus, it's been really tense thus far—I want to unleash some humor. I'm a bit of a goof, so all this seriousness is difficult for me.

Expect the next chapter to be all the game.

THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS! AAAH. Haha, I don't want you guys to think I'm one of those snobbish writers who gets like 34340324 reviews and is like "oh… yes. Reviews … they are wonderful." No, I'm freaking ECSTATIC that people like this! I LOVE YOU ALL. MUAH MUAH MUAH.

(: I'm nuts.

Review, por favor!

steph.


	6. Games

Phase  
_Games_

"Somehow, everything's gonna fall right into place  
If we only had ways to make it all fall faster everyday.  
If only time flew like a dove,  
We could make it fly faster than I'm falling in love."  
"Hallelujah" Paramore

We found the huge field by sheer luck—either that, or Edward had taken to reading the minds of various plants and trees, possibly rocks, in the area. At first, I laughed at the thought, feeling ridiculous, but then I got curious. "Hey, Edward?" I questioned, swinging my arms back and forth as I walked. He turned to me, looking happier than I'd seen him in quite a while. No worry creased his perfect face, and he snuck a kiss on my cheek before he responded.

"Yes?"

I shivered at the sound of his velvety voice directly in my ear. When he pulled away, I composed myself, and then asked around giggles, "Can you read plants' thoughts?"

There was silence, and then I heard Emmett's roaring laughter from the other side of the field. I hadn't spoken loud, but he'd heard it, and now he was on the ground, quite literally rolling around in the dirt. Had I been human, I'd have blushed, but instead I put my head down and looked at the dirt. Edward was fuming next to me—I could feel his vibes—and he shouted, "Emmett! Shut up!"

"No, it's okay!" I shouted back, glaring at Edward. "Let him have his fun," I scolded. "I'm ridiculously hilarious. Accept it."

"He's not laughing _with _you," Edward seethed.

"At me," I clarified, nodding. "I know. That's what makes me so humorous. People enjoy laughing at my expense. My expense is something that makes itself known very often. Relax, Edward. I'm a klutz, and I ask stupid questions. But I'm really curious. Can you?"

Though I could tell he was reading Emmett's thoughts and still boiling mad, we started to walk again and he shrugged. "I don't think so. It never really occurred to me that plants would have thoughts… they're composed of cells that don't do much thinking. They don't have minds."

"Are you sure about that?" I challenged. "Philosophy is a virtue."

"Ignorance is bliss."

"I wish I still had some."

He turned and grinned at me, ending our philosophical conversation. "You guys ready to play?" Edward shouted, and they nodded.

"Get over here!" Emmett called, and Edward took off into a run without another word to me.

I frowned, knowing that if I ran, I would trip. I sped up to a jog—and then realized that the forest was flying around me.

It was an odd feeling. I'd tried to jog, but I was already running faster than any Olympic runner would ever dream to. When I came to a stop, I was right next to Edward, who was smiling crookedly at me. "How did that feel?"

"I only tried to jog!" I exclaimed, and looked down at my feet. "And… and I didn't even trip!"

He laughed loudly, and eventually I did, too. Before long, the whole field was shaking with our hysterics. "Alright, alright. Teams. Let's make teams. At least we'll be even, for once."

"Maybe I'll just ref," I chuckled nervously, staring at the people around me. Alice elbowed me. "No, really. I'm probably a better umpire than anything."

"C'mon, Bella," Emmett begged. "Pleeaaase?"

"Fine."

"Should we make this interesting?" Carlisle questioned, and then smiled. "What if we did… hmm." He walked down the line of his family, and pointed at people. "Esme, stay there. Jasper, go stand with Esme. Bella… stand with them. Emmett… over there."

When we were standing in groups, I discovered the pattern in our teams—one was Esme, Jasper, Emmett and I, and the other was Rosalie, Carlisle, Edward, and Alice. We'd been paired against our mates, something that made my stomach churn. How could I possibly beat Edward at anything involving sports? I couldn't tie my shoe without falling over.

They allowed us to take the field first, giving my team home field advantage. It was clear that Emmett had inadvertently dubbed himself team captain, and we were taking orders from him now. "I'll catch. Jasper, you pitch. Esme and Bella… can you handle fielding?"

My eyes narrowed at the small hints of sexism in his voice. "I'm sure we'll be fine," I shot at him, and he grinned, clearly understanding my tone.

"I'm not sexist," he told me. Then, he smiled an evil smile. "You're real name's Isabella, right?"

Something was wrong with the way he asked this. "Yes…"

"So it's decided. Your new nickname is Izzy."

It took me a moment to process this, and then I screeched. "NO! NO!" I backed away from him, horrified. "I will _not _let you call me that! EW!" I ran to right field, feeling Esme chuckling behind me. She took left, and as I tried not to hyperventilate, I heard the thunder roar some more.

"Is Bella okay?" Edward asked over the storm, and I gave a half-hearted thumbs up.

"PLAY BAAAAALL!" Emmett cried from behind the plate, and then started laughing at his own hilarity. I had to giggle, too, but then I was focused on Edward, stepping up to bat, tapping the plate twice with the

"Where did you guys get the bat and ball?" I asked Esme from across the gigantic field—I didn't need to raise my voice, and she heard me.

"You think we go anywhere without it? We've got that, and many extras. Jasper manages to carry the bag around easily, and we've got a good supply of bats and balls to last us a lot of thunderstorms."

The thunder shrieked just then, but then I realized it wasn't the thunder at all—it was Edward's bat unleashing its fury on the ball, which was now rocketing to the outfield, right near me. "Bella!" Esme smiled at me. "Your play!"

I nearly panicked. What the hell was I supposed to do? My eyes locked on the ball and I darted for the forest behind me, where Edward had positively crushed it. Carlisle shouted something about a home run, but I was still weaving through the forest, not hitting the trees like I thought I might. Then I jumped, high, and caught the ball. I looked at it, surprised that it wasn't dented, and then launched it back toward the field, surprised at how far it traveled when I threw it.

"OUT!" came Emmett's excited cry, and I had to smile to myself. I ran back to the field and slapped high fives with Emmett and Jasper, who'd come to meet me.

The rest of the inning went by flawlessly—three outs just as easy as the first. Then we were up, and I was granted first in the batting order.

When I stepped up to the plate, I saw Edward in right field, where I'd been standing moments before. I gulped, and then thought of something. Maybe if I crushed the ball just as he had, I'd be able to erase the sexism of Emmett, and the obvious smugness of men. For example: Edward was pretending to be asleep way out there.

"Wake _up!_" I yelled at him, and I saw his crooked smile. I nearly melted into a puddle on the spot.

"You can't wake a person who is pretending to sleep," he responded, and I could tell our philosophical conversation had just been revived. I growled, and then focused on the game. Right. Baseball. Something I'd never been good at. I watched as Alice drew her arm back and then launched the ball into Carlisle's waiting hands. I blinked twice, forgetting how fast it would go by. How was I supposed to watch it closely enough to _hit _it?

Deciding just to go with the flow, I watched Alice wind up, closed my eyes, and swung the bat as hard as I could.

The crack was astounding—louder than even Edward's. The ball went launching into the sky, and, just to humor the boys, I began to _slowly_ jog around the bases, raising my hands as they cheered and jumped up and down. Alice watched in awe as the ball continued to fly, but Edward was less than excited… he darted into the forest and didn't emerge for quite a while.

I had only made it to second base at my slow pace when he emerged from the forest, darting at me at a top speed, and then I decided I should probably run. Instantly, I sped up, but he was right behind me, faster still, trying to tag me with the hand with the ball.

However, it was simple to dodge him. Was that peculiar? I simply jumped out of the way, laughing as he jabbed at me, trying to touch me. I jumped out of the way and danced by him—that's the only way to describe it—and crossed home plate with a flourish.

He looked surprised, standing there with the ball in his hand. "How did you… how did you do that?" he questioned, still staring at me.

"Agility," Carlisle answered for me. "That's clearly going to be a strong point of hers. It's not something heightened by the conversion. She's going to be very agile—or, rather, she _is_. It seems she's going to possess strong stealth, as well…" he trailed off, his lips pressed together. "Hmm… I wonder…" He stepped closer to me, a finger to his lips.

"Bella," he began, and I nodded. "Was there anything that you were particularly good at, as a human?"

Oh, God. Like I'd have any idea. "Falling over?"

He laughed, but shook his head. "Not like that. A… certain skill. Something that… deterred you from others."

"Aside from the ridiculous clumsiness? I can cook a mean casserole."

Carlisle smiled again, and shook his head. "She's hopeless. Edward? I'm sure you know what I'm looking for."

Edward shook his head and looked up at the radiant sky, flashing with lightning and rolling with thunder. The rain started to fall, and I hoped viciously that it wouldn't cause the game to cease. "She was always very good with… with protecting herself, and others," he explained, and I saw his eyebrows furrow in frustration. "It's very hard to explain. Whenever there was trouble, she was always intent on keeping Charlie safe, or keeping her friends at school safe. Keeping us safe. Keeping the Quileutes safe. Obviously, she wasn't very safe on her feet," he offered me an apologetic smile, "but she was very good at protecting her mind, and what she felt. Her secrets. She's always been that way."

Carlisle smiled, and I could tell that his ancient brain was putting pieces of some puzzle together. "Is that all?"

"She's brought so many people together, as well," Alice put in, smiling. "She brought herself and Edward together, quite obviously, and she's managed to bring Edward and Charlie together, though Charlie seems to loathe him. Mostly, she brought together the wolves and the vampires, or she's tried to. It's mostly worked. We worked together to take down Victoria."

I shivered.

"I've got a speculation," Carlisle grinned. "A few ideas as to what you might have for an ability."

"And you're not going to tell, right?" Of course not. Too convenient.

"Sorry, Bella. I think this should play out itself."

Silence.

Emmett let out a loud, forced cough, and then we realized that it was still storming. "Can we continue playing?"

"Right. Who was up?"

And it resumed.

My thoughts drifted to my "ability," and I was confused as to what it might be. Maybe I wouldn't get one. Maybe I'd be like Emmett—I'd only bring my "stealth" and "agility." Two things that I hadn't possessed before being turned, but okay. Sure. Let's go with that.

Our inning went a lot longer than theirs did—I scored twice more, and Esme got a few great hits in. Edward was pitching now, and he was heckling whoever stepped up to bat. Now, it was Emmett, and they were having more of a conversation, which had drifted to the Volturi.

"You know what they say about Jane," Emmett was saying, swinging the bat like it was a toothpick, "she had to piss _really _bad when she was changed… so she's just in a _pissy _mood, always uncomfortable, for the rest of her life."

Edward was startled into uproarious laughter, which we all joined in on. It made my heart swell to see him so entertained. "Swing, batta batta," he called at Emmett, who grinned, and swung the bat, and missed, surprisingly.

I cheered loudly and stuck my tongue out at Edward. He did the same to me. "Izzy!" Emmett whined. "We got the bases loaded, two outs. We're close to slaughtering them. Think you can tie us over?"

"But of course," I curtseyed and took the bat from his hands. "Let's do this, Edward," I fake-snarled.

"My _pleasure_," he snarled back.

The oddest thing happened then.

I wasn't ready for the pitch—my eyes had been down, hiding the nonexistent blush that hadn't crawled to my cheeks. So when I looked up, in an almost slow motion, I saw the ball approaching, dangerously close to my face. Though it wouldn't have hurt, I panicked—what if it hit me and smashed my face? Edward let out a warning yell, and I held up my hands, ready to stop it, catch it, deflect it. The impact never came, though, and I looked up.

The ball was flat in the floor in front of my hands, but there was nothing there. The ball had never hit my hands.

"Edward…?" I questioned, trying to piece things together.

"Just as I suspected," Carlisle was saying, walking over to us. "Force fields, or something like them, so to speak. You have a way of… of bending the air around you, making a shield out of it. It's all to do with your mind. However, it's not something like Edward's ability, or Jane's. The force field is really there… we just can't see it. It tends to vary, things like this. Sometimes, they're visible. Sometimes they aren't. I'll admit, though, this is the first time I've seen invisible walls." He walked over to where my palms were still up, and, about a foot away, he tried to push his hand through the air. They stopped. He looked like a mime as he felt around.

"Fascinating," Jasper exhaled, joining Carlisle. "This is what you meant by protection?"

"Precisely," Carlisle marveled.

By this time, I was beginning to feel like a work of art. The rain was still falling, but the thunder had since stopped. "So… I'm a freak of nature?" I translated, feeling my head spin a bit. This whole mutant thing was a bit difficult to adjust to, though I felt I was doing an okay job.

"No more freakish that the rest of us," Alice assured me brightly, and I groaned.

"Great."

Edward materialized at my side, and wrapped an arm around my waist. "You're perfect just the way you are," he whispered in my ear.

"Even without the defects?"

"Defect? Hardly. That's incredibly useful."

"Especially for someone like me."

"Especially," he agreed.

"Well," I sighed, feeling as the rain began to let up. "That was fun while it lasted. Where are we off to now?"

"Someplace peopleless," he sighed. "Everyone? Are you ready?" His voice got louder as he addressed his entire family, but his eyes narrowed when he realized they were all staring into the woods, snarling.

Werewolves. A lot of them. Staring at me, fuming.

The best part? They were all led by none other than Jacob Black.

I broke into a run.

* * *

A few things.

uno – it rained for quite a while here in MA. Thunderstorms, really bad ones. My friend is afraid of thunder and lightning, and my other friend kept telling her it was just God bowling. I looked at her and said, "It's the Cullens playing baseball!" and all my friends stared at me like I was a freak. Heh. I feel blessed that it rained so badly when I was writing this chapter; inspiration is a virtue.  
dos – the quote "Ignorance is bliss—I wish I still had some" is from my main man Adam Pascal himself. I love that guy. And I absolutely love that quote.  
tres – I haven't stopped rereading the series since I got the first two books… hooraaay. (:  
cuatro – I absolutely worship my reviewers. Seriously. Like, I'm ready to accept you guys as my demigod.  
cinco – this was horribly written, but I had a shitload of fun. XD You win some, you lose some.  
seis – sorry if Bella's "ability" is overused, but this is always what I pictured it to be. I really don't read Twilight fanfiction all that much… so sorry if people think I copied them. This is from my own mind.

Review, please!


	7. Conflict

Phase_  
Conflict_

"We can understand the sentiment you're saying to us,  
Oh, but sensible sells, so could you kindly shut up,  
And get started at keeping your part of the bargain.  
Aw, please, little darlin', you're killing me sweetly  
With love, love, love, love."  
"Bottle it Up" Sara Bareilles

"Bella, _no!_"

Edward's voice, nothing short of a bellow, bounced off trees and met my ears more times than necessary, but it didn't slow me down. Without turning, I knew that he was chasing after me, trying to catch me and stop me from running toward the pack of werewolves. He thought I was going to hurt myself. Or, rather… he thought I was going to hurt Jacob, in turn hurting myself.

In retrospect, I realize now that it would've been better for all of us for me to remain away from the werewolves. There was too much confusion. First of all, there was the human confusion—I didn't love Jacob, but how did I feel about him? Were we still friends? Since when had he come home? But then there was the whole mythical creature issue… like, oh, we were destined to be enemies, every single part of my new body wanted to rip him to shreds—when should I have him over for tea to talk it all out?

But when I reached the pack, they snarled at me. I stood my ground, and Jacob snarled.

I hadn't realized Edward at my side, who was shaking his head while staring at Jacob. "No." He was nearly crouched in front of me, glaring intently at each of the wolves, who had fallen behind Jacob—it didn't take much talent to realize that Sam wasn't there.

The wolf seemed to sigh angrily, and then he took off back into the woods. Within moments, he'd returned, wearing his grey sweats and looking calmed down since the last time I'd seen him.

His face hadn't changed; he did look a bit wiser, a little too old for his years. His hair was getting long again, and it was tied in a ponytail behind his head. Though he was clearly angry, he wasn't furious any longer; it seemed safe enough to hold a conversation with him. "Yes. Bella, we need to talk. Really. A lot."

I froze, stepping a bit around Edward to see his expression, which was muddled with fury. How bipolar _was _this kid? He'd just tried to _kill _me, and now he expected me to talk to him _alone?_

"Absolutely not," Edward set his jaw and stood protectively in front of me again. "It would be preferable that you and your little _pack _turn around and leave us. We're no longer on the land. The treaty has been broken, as you know, but if you don't fight us, we will not fight you."

"This is a _war_," Jacob spat, "there's no negotiating."

"All's fair in love and war," I put in quietly, but the boys ignored me.

"It was inevitable that Bella would join us, Jacob," Edward's voice was calmer, and he seemed to beg with his liquid eyes. "It was only a matter of time. Had she chosen you over me, I would have dealt with it. I would not have attempted to kill you, or hurt your family in any way. Can you be mature about this, and let us go on? You know as well as we do that we won't return."

Jacob growled. "There weren't rules that were agreed upon involving Bella choosing me."

"But if there had been," Edward responded quietly, "I think you know that I wouldn't have acted against them. I wish for her to be safe, regardless of where she may be. I loathe causing her pain or discomfort. Her entire change process was hell to me. She's proven that this is the only thing that will ever make her happy, which is the only reason I've allowed it. Her safety comes before my life at all costs, and here you are, claiming you love her, trying to take her life."

Jacob clearly couldn't function around Edward, which was something that was beginning to make itself more and more apparent. "Edward… can I talk with him? Please?"

Edward seemed shocked that I'd even bring it up. "No. Absolutely not."

"Edward—"

"I promised you I'd never leave you," he interrupted. "I promised you that I wouldn't let you get hurt, ever. I'm not going to let that happen."

"Edward. You can hear his _thoughts_. If he's planning to kill me, you'll know about it before _he _does, I'm sure. Just… Jacob and I have been through a _lot_," I muttered. "He… he deserves explanations, and a last chance to talk."

Jacob cringed on the word 'last.'

"Please," I begged. "I'm no longer the damsel in distress. I'm stronger than Emmett at this point. My instincts beg me to tear him apart, but I've got control. He's Jacob Black. I'm Bella Swan. Our chemical makeups are a little on the fried side, but we're still people deep inside. I can remember that."

Very hesitantly, Edward turned and took my hand. "Can you do this, Bella?" he asked in a whisper. He was shaking, ever so slightly, and it frightened me. "I can't afford to lose you. I… I couldn't deal with it once. Twice will be worse. Please, Bella. Be safe. Please…"

"I can do this." I smiled for him once, and kissed him hard. "Don't worry. I'm a big girl now. All grown out of my Pampers."

Being a man of the early 20th century who never needed diapers, he did not get my joke. He turned his head to the side like a confused cocker spaniel, and I laughed wildly. "Give me ten minutes," I told him, and kissed him again. Kissing Edward was like… shooting up. Very addicting. Very dangerous. Well, until now.

I pulled away from him and looked at Jacob. "If any of them try to kill me…" I warned, and he shook his head violently. "And that counts for you, too. If you try to kill me… that'll suck," I reasoned, not thinking of a better deduction.

The sound of his laugh filled my ears. It was pleasant. "You're still Bella," he decided, and ruffled my hair. "Let's walk. These woods are really nice."

He didn't take my hand, which was something that pleased me. He understood now. I looked up at him. It was impossible that anyone could be that tall. Then again, 'anyone' was beginning to become a collective term for strictly humans… something Jacob was not.

But how could anyone think that? It was impossible. Species was determined by the way people decided to go about it, I had realized. Fine. The Cullens ate wild animals. Jacob turned _into _a wild animal. But they didn't act that way. They revealed themselves to be peculiar people, sure. But they didn't go about their lives in a way that gloated that. In my book, Adolph Hitler was more of an animal than either of them.

"So," he began, sighing deeply and sitting down on a very large rock. I didn't search for a spot to rest—I stood my ground, surveying the forest. It was nothing like Forks. It was browner here; tree trunks, the ground, some of the plants. My heart ached for Forks. For Charlie.

"This is the thing, Jacob," I told him, trying to keep my voice strong. "I am who I am. I'm going to be who I'm going to be. Killing me will change that, but it will change everything. If you let it go, it keeps all of us safe. You can't change the past by being angry," I reminded him, and all of a sudden I felt like I was lecturing a young boy. "I made my decision. You can live with it and move on, or you can try to destroy me. What will you gain out of destroying me?"

He paused. "The pleasure of seeing Cullen's face—"

"That's a really, _really _twisted thing to desire," I seethed. "Do you not see, Jacob? Are you _blind?_ Edward _understood _when I was confused. He helped me through it. He gave me freedom. You're giving me _conditions._ 'I'll only like you if you do this.' 'Do it my way or I'm going to hate you.' Edward didn't _do _that. He hasn't tried to hurt you. Why are you so set on hurting him? Us?"

And then everything just came tumbling out. I doubt he even understood half of it. I spoke as things came to mind.

"Jacob, here's the thing. When Edward left, it was like I jumped off a cliff. While I was falling, you caught me. I was still at the bottom of the ditch I fell into, but you caught me. You didn't let the ditch cave in. You didn't let me die down there. You know it, I know it. I am endlessly thankful for that. You kept me alive while I was down there. But you know what? What good is being at the bottom of a ditch? You couldn't get me back up. There was no way out. When Edward came back, he pulled me back up, and I was safe again. That's where I need to be, at the top of that cliff. That's where I am now.

"But you're still at the bottom," I reasoned. "You're still stuck down there, because of me. And you need someone who will go down and help you like I did, and try harder to find a way out. And they will. Jacob, I'm not _for you_. You didn't imprint on me. Soon enough, you'll imprint on a lovely Quileute girl, and everything will be fine. Just _don't waste time trying to kill me_. If you really want to ruin everything there is for me, go tell Charlie everything. Okay? Break his heart. But don't threaten the Cullens anymore. It's pointless, and it's pissing me off. There's a war now? Great. You can fight it, and we'll fight back, or you can do nothing, and we'll do nothing."

My hands were clenched into fists at my sides. There was nothing else I could say. I looked down at my shoes, waiting for him to respond, but all I got was ragged breaths. When I looked up, he was crying.

Without thinking of it, I threw myself into his arms. "Jake, I'm so sorry," I whispered. I stroked his hair and buried my face into his shoulder. "I know it's not fair. I know; I know… life is so unfair. But… this is my life. I made myself happy. Now you need to do the same for yourself."

We embraced for a bit, and then he pushed me away gently. "I'm sorry, Bella. I'm sorry you chose this. I'm sorry you could've been so much more. I'm sorry you love him."

"Don't be sorry," I hid my anger with compassion. "Be happy for me."

He snorted. "Yeah."

He rose, and we started walking out of the forest. It was good to get the cleared up with Jacob… but I was sad that this was probably one of the last times I'd see him. "When one of them kills you," he began, and I felt a shiver of fear and anger rip down my spine, "either because you expose them… or if one of them just decides they want you dead… don't expect me to be at your funeral."

"Don't expect me to be at your wedding," I countered. "Even though you—oh, _wait_," my tone dripped with sarcasm, "never mind, that's right. You didn't _show up _at mine."

"Only because of the company," he grinned, and I didn't find it funny.

Though he was still Jacob—the Jacob I had previously loved, the Jacob I still _did _love, in that brotherly-sisterly way, it was odd to see him through the same light I previously had. God knows that when fairy tales get mixed in with reality, relationships are forced to suffer.

"I'm gonna miss you, Bells," he murmured when we made it to the exit of the forest.

"I know," I whispered.

He took me in his arms, hugged me like he meant it, and then stepped back. "I've got to go," he said. Then, without another word, he turned and took off into the forest, phasing as he did so.

Within moments, Edward was at my side, with his arms around me.

I was seriously getting to the point where I was waiting for Edward to introduce me to fairies. That's how bad it was getting.

It was tense for a bit, with me in his arms, trying to figure out the meaning of life and all that. But then, from the other side of the field, I heard another roar of thunder. Someone was looking down on me, trying to make me happy. "Hey, Alice sees a bit more thunder—we have to finish the inning!"

I pulled away from Edward and couldn't stop the grin that was splashing across my face. "Emmett's so…"

"Ridiculous?" he supplied, and I smiled.

"Yes, exactly."

"He's the only reason we survive," he mumbled, and then sighed. "Fine!"

Taking my hand, he led me across the field, and I left my thoughts in the forest.

* * *

Holy Cheeseandrice, Reviewer Demigods, the reviews were SPECTACULAR! See, I went to the dermatologist, AKA the Freckle Doctor. I tend to have a shitload of freckles. Anyway, so I went there, came back, and I had TWENTY THREE emails, all author/story alerts, favs alerts, and reviews. I almost passed the hell out, and I'm so HAPPY. I am SO ridiculously thrilled that people like this story. I'm being compared to STEPHENIE.

It's delicious, to say the least.

1. I'm sorry if this confuses people!! If you have any questions, ask them in reviews, so I can clear all this up.

2. Negatory: Bella is not faster than Edward. She's just very agile, which means that she's very good at dodging, and she's swift on her feet. Think of this as… a canceling action, almost. She was never good on her feet, but now that she's a vampire, that negative has been magnified so much that it's become a positive. Stealth as well: she knows how to move. She's almost like Alice; every step she takes is a dance move. Alice is better in that way in particular, but when it comes to a battle, Bella would be quicker to dodge, harder to catch.

But in no way is she faster than Edward. She's just strong because she's newborn; remember that.

3. So, I'm sure I've made it clear that I love Jasper like a beast. I read the interviews for most of the actors, and Jackson is PERFECT for his part, I'm absolutely sure. Also – I read the interview with Kellan Lutz, who plays Emmett, and he's PERFECT for Emmett! In fact, _he's _the reason I love Emmett so much now. But I still prefer Jasper. (:

4. One of my Demigods mentioned that they love my taste in music. Gracias! I love a LOT of different kinds – anything lyrical, a lot of punk rock, a loooot of the oldies (Beatles are love! Even before ATU came out), and a lot of types of solo artists, such as Sara Bareilles (featured in this chapter; I love her work with the piano and such), and Matt Nathanson (who is aaaamazing). But, anyway. I'm an all-around music girl. Just wait till I start factoring in my Broadway musicals into these chapters XD

AAH, I be Ranty Rant McRantpants. Please review, Reviewer Demigods!


	8. Tests

Phase  
_Tests_

"Sometimes I stare at you while you are sleeping, I listen to your breathing,  
Amazed how I somehow managed to sweep you off your feet, girl,  
Your perfect little feet, girl; I took for granted what you do,  
But I'll do better, I know, baby, I can do better."  
"Stay Close Don't Go" Secondhand Serenade

The inning was finished easily; I knocked in the four runs Emmett requested with another home run (grand slam), much to Edward's surprise—and envy, though he'd never admit it—and then we were walking through the rain to an unknown destination, while Carlisle was calmly prodding me with questions about the conversation I'd had with Jacob.

"Did he say anything about the war, or what is to come?" he asked gently, and I shrugged my shoulders.

"I kind of just let everything go… I told him how I felt, and tried to change his mind. I told him again that if the wolves didn't fight, we wouldn't. He started crying, and I tried to comfort him… I don't know," I answered honestly, and hoped that was enough for Carlisle.

He nodded and tried to process things in his head, I could see. "Anything else we should probably know?

I shrugged again. "I really don't know, Carlisle. I wish I could be more of help. He left… suddenly. And he seemed a bit… off the whole time."

Edward cringed, as if he knew something I didn't, but he didn't say a word.

It was now I noticed that every pair of vampire eyes was traveling from Carlisle to me with the same dumbfounded expression. "Were you inclined to… attack him?" His voice was conversational.

I shook my head quickly at his question on instinct, but then realized—"Actually… no. I know—I know I was _supposed _to feel that way… but his blood didn't do anything to me." I swallowed hard and cringed when I saw their faces again. "Is that bad?"

Edward, whose arms were wrapped around me tightly, became even more secure. "No, no," he reassured me, and then chuckled with relief into my hair. "That's… _wonderful_," he decided, and chuckled again. "Bella… you don't seem to have… _bloodlust_."

I backed away from Edward and my eyes widened. "Wait… what? Does that mean I'm not thirsty for other people's blood?"

"We aren't sure," Carlisle cut in, "but if you weren't inclined to tear the _wolves _apart, let alone _people_… that may mean that…" he trailed off, clearly frazzled. "You are one interesting human being, Isabella. You have succeeded in confusing me."

"Of all people, you had to go around confusing _Carlisle. Thanks_, Bella," Jasper cracked, but he laughed, and I could tell there was admiration in his gaze. I beamed at him.

It was quiet for a few moments, but Alice broke the silence. "Should we…?"

"No," Edward cut her off. That seemed to be his favorite word lately, and I wasn't liking it very much.

"Alice?" I politely addressed her, "Go on."

"Well…" she bit her lip nervously, "I was just thinking… maybe we should test the theory?"

My mind didn't clink on all cylinders when she said this—I wasn't sure what she was implying, but by Edward's nervous glare, I could understand that it wasn't something good. "Theory…?" I trailed off, and then I understood. "Oh!"

Gritting his teeth, Edward pushed me behind him. "Alice, not yet. Please. We don't know… and I won't have the Volturi coming to stop her if anything happens."

"On the contrary, Edward," Carlisle cut him off, "it would be very convenient for us to know if, in fact, she's feeling bloodlust." He flashed a brilliant smile at me. "You said she never liked blood before, correct? You told me about science class when they were doing blood types, she passed out at the sight of it?"

"She also said she could smell it," Edward countered.

"Regardless, I've never met a vampire who had a phobia of blood before being changed. We'll bring her to a nearby park. It's four in the morning, Edward. Even if she _does _slip up somehow, there won't be many witnesses."

Edward still didn't seem to like this. "And if there are?" he challenged.

Carlisle shrugged. "Bella's part of our family now. We defend her."

There were moments of silence, and I could see that Carlisle and Edward were having a conversation mentally. Alice's eyes were closed, clearly trying to see something that wasn't coming easily to her.

"I'm seeing one dog walker in the park as we speak, but I can't see Bella's reaction, since we don't know how she's going to react. I think we should go now, though, if we want to catch the dog walker."

Wordlessly, we fell into step behind Carlisle and Esme, whose arms were linked as they walked briskly.

Edward wrapped an arm around my waist as we kept up with their pace, and my mind wandered.

I'd always been a mysterious figure to the Cullens—and to the rest of the vampire population, I was aware. Jane couldn't hurt me. Aro couldn't figure me out. Edward couldn't hear my thoughts. My mind was considered my safe haven. Also, as a human, I was considered odd—I was very mature, quiet (most of the time), and unafraid of almost everything, except maybe needles and blood.

Did that change anything in the vampire world, though? Did that make me a unique vampire, or just individual, like the difference between Carlisle and Edward, and Alice and Rosalie?

This was when I realized Edward was holding me extremely tightly to his chest, which was rumbling with low growls. In the park, there was a young man, no older than me, probably, walking his golden retriever.

I felt a screech tumble out of my throat and then I was lurching against Edward's locked arms. The boy turned and looked, but Edward and Carlisle, who tried to keep me quiet, quickly pulled me out of view. I was horrified at what I was doing, but could find no way to stop.

Though I knew the only thought running through Edward's head was something along the lines of _I told you so_, he kept his mouth shut as he and Carlisle struggled to hold me back. Our granite bodies were struggling, and it sounded like a miniature rockslide. With one desperate attempt, I gathered all my strength and tried to budge them.

The unthinkable happened—

I broke free.

Rosalie had just enough time to shout, "No!" before Emmett threw himself in my direction. But, because I was agile, I dodged.

Even in my rampage, I noticed that Alice was quiet and calm, watching the scene unfold before her.

As I ran toward the boy, he turned around, his eyes wide as he took in my bloodshot eyes and unorthodox noises. But, to my insane surprise, as I got closer, I only got more sickened by the smell of this boy. What was wrong with him? The dog, however, smelled delicious—maybe flea spray, or doggy shampoo?

It didn't take me very long to realize that it wasn't any product used on the dog… it was its blood that I smelled.

Emmett wrapped his arms around my waist and attempted to haul me backward, but I kept my ground, reaching toward the dog. When he realized I was no longer snarling, and that Alice was murmuring to let me go under her breath, he unwrapped his arms. Edward came beside me, looking suspicious. He kept an arm around my waist and a hand on my forearm.

"I'm sorry, I thought that was my dog," I lied smoothly to the boy. "He looked just like it, and he was stolen earlier in the evening. I get a little… territorial, so you could say. What's your dog's name?"

Looking relaxed, the young man smiled. "Roger," he petted the dog's soft fur, a color that reminded me of Jacob's skin, which instantly made me frown. However, when he touched the dog's fur, the perfume that wafted through the air was so irresistible, I wanted to drop to my knees and suck the life out of the dog.

I snapped my head in the other direction. No. It was just a stupid Jacob-dog: domestic, nice, fluffy, and this kid's _pet_. When I looked back at Roger, it made it easier for me not to eat him.

"Well, I'm very sorry for the scariness," I tried to laugh naturally, but it came out as a choke with the damn dog around. "I spent the whole day swimming, as you can tell by my eyes, and I'm exhausted… I went to look for Lucky, and he wasn't in the house. Have a great day," I grinned at him, and he offered a wave back.

"You too."

Edward turned me around, and we more or less ran away. "How in _hell_…" Edward hissed as we hurried away, but I shushed him until we were out of the park and running in a different direction.

"Where are the others?"

"Behind this clump of trees."

Silence.

"Stupid dog reminded me of Jacob," I muttered when we stopped running and met up with the rest of the family. Without hesitation, Edward grabbed my shoulders and forced me to face him, looking horrified, elated, and ridiculously confused all at once.

"What the hell just happened?" he demanded, searching my eyes for an answer.

I swallowed hard. "I don't know? The… he smelled."

Yes, I _am_ known for my subtlety, thank you for asking.

"You… he _what_?"

"He smelled," I repeated. "The… the dog smelled great… but the boy—there was something wrong with his blood?" Edward's eyes held confusion, and I felt my voice drop down to a terrified whisper. "You didn't smell it too?"

Carlisle came up beside me. "Bella… you _controlled _yourself," he breathed.

If I could've been, I would've been sweating. "Well… yeah. At first I thought that I was struggling against you guys because I wanted the guy… but as I got closer to him, I realized I didn't like his smell… and I didn't _want _to bite him. But the dog… the dog smelled like he'd been dipped in a vat of sugar, or something. I don't know," I answered honestly. "I just…"

When I stopped talking, I was staring at seven gaping vampires.

"Bella," Carlisle finally spoke, his face adorning a wide grin. "You… somehow, you're naturally attracted to animal blood."

"So that means…"

Then something lifted me into the air and was running with me—I could tell by the bronze hair that I was inhaling that it was Edward—and it was laughing a rich, delirious laugh fueled by nothing other than pure bliss and joy. My love carried me all the way across the field, to the other side, and dumped me onto the ground, directly underneath the dawn that was now approaching us. "That _means_, my silly Bella," he whispered in my ear, "that you will never harm a human being, and you are not a monster. You're simply a hunter… without a gun. I love you. I love you so much… you will never begin to understand just how much."

"Oh, I think I have an idea," I responded, kissing my wedding ring, and cause his eyes with a mischievous look. "But, if you'd like to remind me…"

* * *

Daaaamn! Edward and Bella gon' get it oooon! :D

I do not like the way this chapter is written at all, but sorry it took so long to update – I've been having really busy days because of the summer theatre camp I'm doing. I just auditioned for… High School Musical. I'm going to try not to rant, but I don't exactly _like _HSM, for many reasons – one just because I'm a thespian – but I'm just doing the show because it's a great experience. I find out what my part is tomorrow… woop! (:

FYI – I don't know a whole lot about sentence structure, but the opening paragraph is probably the longest sentence I've ever written that isn't ridiculously grammatically incorrect.

I have one request for you guys – so you've seen my musical style. Anything except hip-hop, rap, stuff like that ("I Kissed a Girl", "Sexy Can I" stuff like that… no thank you). If it has a rock undertone, like pop-rock, punk rock, rock and roll, anything like that… and anything like Sara Bareilles, if you get what I mean – rhythm piano and stuff. Some of my favorite bands are Aqualung, Jack's Mannequin, The Fray, Queen, The Beatles… so if you guys have any bands you think I'd like, please let me know! I'm always looking for more music (: I also love bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival, Papa Roach, Nickelback… I'm pretty open when it comes to music.

Oh – but nothing extremely screamo. I like a good screamo now and then (Flyleaf, Fall Out Boy) but bands like Breaking Benjamin are usually a little too much for me. I do more cringing than anything.

Alas, I rant again. Review, Demigods!

BTW -- check out my new story, _Boys' Night Out_! :D


	9. Genesis

Phase  
_Genesis_

"To the love, I left my conscience pressed between the pages of the Bible in the drawer,  
'What did it ever do for me?' I say; it never calls me when I'm down.  
Love never wanted me, but I took it anyway.  
Put your ear to the speaker, and choose love or sympathy, but never both, no."  
"XO" Fall Out Boy

"Sam Uley is dead," Edward said conversationally.

The sun was high in the sky, and we were making our way to the northernmost part of Montana, debating whether we wanted to settle down and go to school again. The shortcut through one of the big forests reminded me of Forks, something that made my heart ache again, but I kept my trap shut this time in fear of Edward's wrath of.

Upon hearing Edward's sentence, I chuckled nervously.

"Funny joke," Emmett agreed with my laugh, and smacked his brother on the back.

Edward's face was unreadable. "It's not a joke," he clarified, and then sighed. "Jacob's thoughts… Bella, that's why you said he seemed off; Sam was killed."

My breath left me in a whoosh. "_How?_" I'd gone through that whole stage when I hated Sam because I thought he'd captured Jacob, but once I'd met him, he was a great guy. He'd helped Jacob through a lot, and he'd saved my life the first night that Edward—

"A new clan of vampires," he exhaled. "It's ridiculous that we were unaware that they existed… usually, we keep track of our kind well. They're from Magadan, in Russia, but were in Forks _right _after we left. They managed to kill Sam, and then the pack found us here. They're old… around two hundred years old. They're interested in Bella… just like the Volturi were."

"And still are," Carlisle added, but his eyes were narrowed and his jaw was tight. I could tell he wasn't too happy about Edward keeping this a secret. "What else did you get from his mind?"

"That was it."

"Alice, you didn't _see _this?" Rosalie accused sourly, and Alice shook her head, dumbfounded.

"I don't know—they must not have made any rash decisions yet. Or… I don't know. Who _are _they?"

"That's the problem. We aren't aware. We've never encountered these vampires before."

"Can you at least give me a name?" Alice asked.

"Jacob was thinking the name Reuben an awful lot," Edward said, and looking thoughtful. "And Levi, and Asher…" his eyebrows furrowed. "For some reason, these names are ringing a coincidental bell in something else." He turned to Carlisle for help.

"Genesis," Carlisle cut in. "They're all from the book of Genesis in the bible. Joseph's brothers—Jacob's sons—were Reuben, Asher and Levi, and eight others as well. Maybe…" he shook his head. "How many did he say were in the coven?"

Edward shook his head. "He didn't think of it, if he was aware."

A growl erupted from Emmett's throat. "Well, that _sucks_. What the hell? Why can't we just live in peace? Screw people always trying to eat us." He stomped his foot and ran a hand through his curls, sighing angrily.

An unexpected laugh escaped my lips. "You sound almost human when you say that."

He flashed a brilliant smile.

Next to me, Edward's arm tightened around my waist. "So we're going to have to keep an eye out, and we're going to have to stay on the move. No dwindling, and no leaving distinct scents."

"_Right_…" Emmett trailed off. "And how do we go about doing _that?_"

Edward clenched his teeth together. "Change clothes a lot. Make confusing trails. It's a mere inconvenience, but it's worth it to keep us safe, no?"

"Uh-oh," Alice muttered, and then got the distant look she gained when having visions. Edward went frighteningly rigid next to me, and as I turned to ask him what Alice was seeing, he released a mighty roar—the scariest thing I'd ever witnessed him do. Frightened, I backed away, pumping into Esme, who wrapped her arms around my waist.

"They're here already!" Edward hissed under his breath, but the pain in his eyes was unmistakable. "How could I miss this?"

"Bella," Alice's voice was low. "Get up in that tree. Don't move. Don't move a _muscle. _Don't breathe. Stay very still… we'll take care of this."

I high-tailed it toward the top of the tree, surprised when I found no fear for myself—only for my family. Edward was crouched, snarling, but in moments, he and the rest of the family became oddly calm, and I looked at Jasper, knowing it was his doing.

Carlisle took a miniscule step forward, but it was clear that he was the leader of the rest of the coven, who didn't surround the tree in any suspicious manner.

"Hello," Carlisle said politely, and put his hand out to shake.

A tall, redheaded figure stepped forward and took Carlisle's hand, shaking. "My name is Reuben," he began, a thick Russian accent apparent in his voice, "I am the oldest of eleven brothers… six of whom were killed violently upon being born," he narrated darkly, and turned to face the other vampires behind him. "Left are Asher, Levi, Benjamin, and I. We have succeeded in hiding ourselves from the rest of the vampire population of the world, and would enjoy if you respected our secret."

When Carlisle didn't answer right away, Reuben turned around to face Benjamin, who was clearly the youngest out of them all. He nodded briefly. My eyes drifted back to Carlisle, who, after a grunt, went rigid. "Yes," he choked out, and I was shocked to hear the pained undertone to his voice. "We will."

Edward growled. "Stop that," he ordered. "Your power is convenient, but used for dark purposes. Do not influence us, or we _will _act on impulse."

The one called Levi—very tall, very thin, with short, white-blond hair—chuckled darkly. "We see you're _vegetarians_," he cracked, the same Russian accent.

Asher, who was shorter, and had dark brown hair, snorted, and I wasn't surprised to see that _he _was Russian as well. "Shouldn't be a problem to take all of you, so maybe you should keep your mouths shut and listen to us. Nothing will happen."

Benjamin stayed quiet, and I began to feel sorry for him, for some reason. Something about him—he was clearly only fourteen or fifteen, and forced into this life. His eyes were alert, but seemed tired and nervous.

"Or _maybe_," Edward growled, "you should turn around and head back to where—"

"Excuse the hostility," Carlisle slipped in front of Edward smoothly, "that is Edward. Over there is Esme, Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper. Please, we don't mean to cause violence. You can state your purpose of being here, we'll deal with it, and we can go our separate ways."

The four brothers looked at each other and then nodded in consent. "We know you have the girl," Reuben murmured. "The newborn. We know you have her, and we know she's special."

Carlisle allowed his eyebrows to knit in perfect, innocent confusion. "How do you know this?"

"Levi has a built-in search engine of the universe in his head, or so we explain it," Reuben said, pointing to the tall vampire. "He can gather any information he wishes, as long as it's public information. For example, he can't read thoughts, or know internal information. However, it had been spoken that the newborn girl had exceptional abilities, and could resist the blood of humans; preferring animal."

"Yes," Carlisle confirmed. "That is true. And why does this interest you?"

It didn't take Edward a moment to realize that Asher had disappeared, as it took me. My love screeched and glared at Reuben. "Where is the dark one?" he demanded, his eyes instantly flew up into the tree, and then widened. "Bella!" he shouted, "Look out!"

I spun around quickly, not surprised as I lost my balance. However, with my quick reflexes, I grabbed two branches opposing me, surprised when I saw Asher in front of me, crouched, grinning evilly.

"How…" I breathed in sharply. "How did you get here?"

"Asher can bend light around him and seem invisible," Reuben narrated.

"Interesting," Carlisle responded. "Bella can bend light around her and create force fields." He paused. "But you already knew that."

"Of course," Asher purred in front of me, and took steps closer toward me. "You're so _pretty_," he lured, the grin still on his face. "Wouldn't you like to join _us? _Such a powerful, handsome coven of—"

"NO!" Edward shrieked, and snatched me down from the tree. He pulled me onto the ground, and Emmett immediately tucked me into his side as Edward circled Asher, each of them snarling viciously. Benjamin remained behind Reuben, who was paired off with Carlisle, and Levi was glaring menacingly at Alice, Jasper, and Rosalie, who each had a look of fury traced on their beautiful faces.

Then, suddenly, Asher leapt forward at Edward, the loud smashing noise astonishing to my sensitive ears. I jumped, and Emmett tightened his hold on my side, pulling me back towards the trees behind us. Levi and Reuben had yet to attack, but I couldn't be sure that it wouldn't happen.

"Rosalie," Emmett called, and the beauty's head jerked up. "Watch Bella," he demanded, and shot forward, tackling Asher from the back. At this point, Reuben was glaring intently at Carlisle, but Esme was right by his side, looking fragile. I swallowed. Why was I still the target? I was stronger—stronger than any of them—so why should I have to stay behind?

Rosalie's eyes were focused on Levi, narrowed slits, as he squared off against Jasper and Alice. Why were these vampires so strong? They weren't newborns… but they were ridiculously sly with the way they attacked.

Now excited, I leapt forward at Asher—but frowned as he saw me coming and shot me down. The rocklike sound of our bodies smashing made me cringe, and Edward was wild with anger. "Bella! Stay back! You are _not _getting involved in this!"

I fell back and watched them fight in fear—what if Edward got hurt? It would be my entire fault, and I couldn't live with that. I growled at Asher, very inclined to attack him. Rosalie had launched herself at Benjamin, who had started to fight, and I was standing here, watching it all unfold before my very eyes.

Why were they still fighting for me?

Then, suddenly, there was something metal strapped over my mouth, and I was shooting through the darkness, the forest flying around me. Relieved, I figured it was Edward, my love, carrying me to safety, or Alice, my sister, telling me everything was okay…

When my eyes opened, I saw nothing. I screamed, but my makeshift mouth guard muffled it.

Asher? Asher had managed to capture me and carry me away?

Suddenly, the person's arms materialized, and then, gradually, their body. "I'm Joseph," his voice was husky, and his hair was curly and auburn. "Don't scream. Don't do anything, and you'll live." He focused ahead, not attempting to catch my eyes. "I don't want to hurt you," he whispered sincerely.

I'd heard that a lot in my human life, in the same tone, from many vampires. And for some reason, deep in the back of my mind, I knew that no matter how much truthfulness dripped from the words, they would never be true.

* * *

I know I say this for every chapter, sorry if it's obnoxious, but I especially hate this. Ugh, I feel like I wrecked this chapter. I'm sorry.

Sorry if you don't like the new coven thingy that materialized out of nowhere… I finally have a plot cutout for this story, and I'm pretty pumped about it. (:

So, I was cast as Gabriella in High School Musical… can I get a woop-woop? Haha. This means I'll be pretty busy coming up, but I shalt not forget about my lovely Reviewer Demigods.

Oh, by the way, _Demigods_—you must go read AuthorDream4Life's fic "Dead Line" or I'm disowning you as a Demigod. You must read AND review. It is worth your time, believe me. And she has a very interesting plot. SO READ IT, I will KNOW if you read and review, and I will DISOWN YOU AS A DEMIGOD if you do not.

Just putting that out there.

I'm glad I had such a positive response to Bella's lack of bloodlust for humans – haha, that was something I did out of mere convenience and tried to cram it in so it looked nice. XD Thanks though!

BTW, fellow Americans: Happy 4th! Be safe, don't blow yourselves up with fireworks ;)


	10. Captive

Phase  
_Captive_

"How did they find me here, what do they want from me?  
All of these vultures hiding right outside my door;  
I hear them whisperin', they're tryin' to ride it out,  
Cause they've never gone this long without a kill before."  
"Vultures" John Mayer

Though I'd been in peril many times since meeting Edward and becoming the main focus of his mythical world, I'd never felt quite as hopeless as I did now. Which was an odd thing to say, simply because now I was just the opposite. I _wasn't _hopeless. I was strong. I was a newborn vampire. I had a special talent that had just discovered its off switch. But, for some reason, this golden-blond, graceful, and curiously strong vampire had managed to capture me and drag me from seven others who cared a _lot _about me.

It was bright, and I had shut my eyes a while ago, disliking the uncomfortable feeling of staring up at the sun as he ran. I'd given up trying to break free due to the fact that I was losing energy, and I'd realized that I was very thirsty, even though I'd fed the day before.

My captor slowed to a walk, and my escape tactics instantly restarted as I writhed in his arms, trying to scream over the band of metal covering my mouth, failing when I did so. He chuckled in my ear, but it wasn't musical, like Edward's—if it were musical at all, it would be nonharmonic tones smashing together to form a badly composed symphony. "So _stubborn_," he muttered, and I was surprised to find that he _didn't _have the same Russian accent as the others.

True to my trait, I didn't give up struggling.

He walked through a large door and threw me onto the ground, turning back to lock it with a giant key. He placed the key in his pocket, buttoned it shut, and turned back to me. "Sit," he instructed, coming forward to take off my mouth guard. When it was off, I snapped my teeth at him. "_Sit_," he said again.

Growling, I crossed my arms over my chest.

He frowned. "We can do this the easy way, or we can do this the—"

Anger bubbling inside of me, I kicked the vampire as hard as I could in the stomach, watching as he stumbled back a couple inches. I roared up on him, my hands balling into fists and coming down mercilessly on his face. "Take me _back!_" I demanded. "Let me out of here!"

My hands trailed down to his pants—I unbuttoned the pocket and attempted to get the key out, but he grabbed my arm and twisted it around. I let out a short cry, surprised that it actually didn't hurt that much, and realized that this was it—I was either going to cooperate and possibly be set free, or not cooperate and be tormented.

I weighed things in my head. If he had the ability to keep me secure in his arms, a _newborn_, _and _could be invisible like Asher, I should listen to him. Aggravated, I sank to my knees and then sat cross-legged on the dusty wooden floors, looking at the oddly lit room around me.

It was no bigger than a large bedroom, with stone walls and a large stone door with a large keyhole. The floors were hardwood, but very old and scratched up. There wasn't a single window, but when I looked up, I could see that there were very small windows on the ceiling, which allowed the sunlight to shine in.

"My name is Joseph, as I told you. The entire coven you saw back there is made up of my brothers. We look different, but we _are _related. My father remarried many times. We're very similar to the brothers in the chapter of Genesis… of not by looks, then by name. The other six of our brothers were killed, as Reuben said… but your coven never asked about the fifth left, _me_.

"My special ability is that I can mirror other vampires' powers when close enough to them. So, naturally, I took Asher's ability to be invisible, and took you away. Reuben is a brilliant tracker, and with Levi's ability, they'll be able to find us here."

"Why do they _want _me?" I demanded, hating it when my voice shook.

Joseph chuckled again, his frightening, hard on the ears chuckle. "Isabella," he clucked his tongue. "_Everyone _wants you. You're so… _unique_. You give hope to our kind. You don't desire to feed on humans, so you don't _have _to resist like the rest of your family does. I…" he exhaled. "I don't like the way we live," he admitted. "I always wanted to be a 'vegetarian.' Benjamin and I—he's our youngest brother—don't like to feed on humans. In fact, we split from the hunt most of the time and feed on animals, like your family does.

"But our brothers don't like that. They can tell by our eyes when we aren't eating… people."

"Right. They have a problem with that." I rolled my eyes.

"I know that you had the choice of being changed or not," he said, his eyes portraying an odd emotion that I couldn't name. "It makes me curious as to why you would choose that. Our parents were killed by vampires… Reuben was changed, and he took to changing all of us. He lies about how my other six brothers died; he only managed to change four of us successfully… he ended up killing the others."

Now that I was a vampire, and could hear others' back stories, I understood how odd it was that I would choose this life. "I chose this life for Edward," I told him, tracing a circle in dust on the floor.

He snorted. "He made you choose it?"

"_No_," I shot back in defense. "He tried to prevent it. He did. But I proved to him that I could never be happy without him forever, and told him that I wouldn't let him do the honors. Carlisle would've. But Edward agreed that he'd do it. I love him." I let my eyes wander on his incredulous face and felt fury rumble in my chest. "It's clear to see that you'll never be one to experience anything like it. Pity."

He laughed his dark laugh. "Very mean," he said in an amused tone. "Feisty. I can tell why Edward listened to you."

"They're going to find me," I promised, trying to control my rage. "And Edward listened to me because he loves me. I'm sure you feel you're the most superior being in the world, but please try to control your sarcasm."

"And here I was thinking you were fluent in it."

A steady growl reached my mouth and I leapt up, dashing to the door. I pulled as hard as I could on the handle, putting my feet against the wall and heaving. "Let me _out _of here!"

"It won't make a difference," Joseph told me softly. "They were too into the battle to notice that you'd gone. Edward was keeping tabs on everyone's thoughts, I'm sure, though he couldn't keep tabs on yours. He thought Emmett was watching you, who made Rosalie watch you, who took off to fight. Naïve vampire should've just let his love fight…"

I whipped around, stomping over to Joseph and kicking him in the jaw. "_Don't _talk about Edward like that!" I demanded. "He wouldn't let me fight because he _loves _me!"

"You're _newborn_," he retorted, "you're stronger than the strongest one."

"I don't know what I'm doing! My power wouldn't even work."

Grinning, he stuck out his tongue at me.

I felt something inside me snap.

I launched myself at him, snapping my teeth, but slammed face first into an invisible wall. Bouncing back, I managed to catch myself in a crablike stance, seething at my captor.

"Your power is very, very useful," he said, standing up and leaning against the transparent block. It was an odd sight, and my brain could barely process it: it looked like he should be falling over. "You just need to learn how to control it. If you try hard enough, you can do what I'm doing now… not even focus on what you're doing, and yet hold it up with mind power. It's almost what Carlisle does, resisting blood, or what Edward does; tuning out all the voices."

I felt despair leaking into my brain. It was odd, that I hadn't rebelled yet, that I hadn't gone insane, that I hadn't tried to beat him. Maybe it was because I knew, somewhere deep inside, that Edward was looking for me, and that he would be angry if this vampire killed me.

However, the despair crawled into my mind, making everything spin, so I backed into a dusty corner and dumped my head into my lap, crying dry tears.

* * *

I liked this chapter much more, though it is a lot shorter.

Clear a few things up –

Uno – Bella didn't use her force field ability last chapter, as I explained a bit here, because it was very sudden that they showed up and started fighting. She wasn't thinking, she was very worried. Also, she _just _acquired her power by a mere accident, so she needs to learn how to control it.

Dos – they didn't let her fight because she was the targeted individual.

Tres – I think the reason I realized I didn't like the last chapter is because I felt so odd, creating so many original characters that materialized out of nowhere, and the fact that Alice didn't even see them. I don't know; I still don't like it all that much, but at least most of you guys liked it. :D

Alright, review! (:

steph.


	11. Hope

Phase  
_Hope_

"Wish I could hold you up, in my arms, keep you safe and sound from any harm.  
I can't seem to function from this far away, and every little moment looks so dull  
Without your color in my day; oh, it feels so good to hear you speak."  
"Low Fidelity" The Spill Canvas

The sound of the large oak tree snapping beneath Edward's fists was nothing compared to the roar that came from his throat, a snarl filled with guilt and fury. "_How did she get away?_" he roared, staring at the spot that Bella had stood minutes ago. How could he have let someone take her? How could Emmett have trusted _Rosalie?_

"Edward, I'm so sorry," Rosalie was repeating, looking worried, a very uncharacteristic thing for Rosalie to be over Bella. Her eyes tore away from Edward, and she hurried to the other end of the field, peering into the brush.

Emmett's teeth were bared, and he was searching around the clearing, sweeping it with his eyes, growling lowly.

Alice, Carlisle and Esme had gone off to search the outer area of the forest, but they had been ordered to remain inside the meadow, in case the other vampires crossed back through in an attempt to throw off the scent. Alice wouldn't see any snap decisions they made _until_ they were made.

A feeble attempt of serenity from Jasper was knocked haywire by another snarl from Edward, which resulted in Jasper throwing up his hands in defeat and turning away. In moments, Edward had his brother by the collar of his shirt, holding him off the ground.

Jasper wretched free easily, straightening his shirt up as he did so. "Edward, listen." His voice was calm, no anger easily detectable in it. "I care about Bella. You know I do. After I almost…" he exhaled, "last year… you know how bad I felt. She's a wonderful girl, and I'm very happy to have her in my family. I don't want her to get hurt. But you being angry and loud isn't going to help save her. It's going to hurt her." His eyes reeked with legitimacy.

"I agree with Jasper," Emmett agreed heartily, raising a finger. "Bella's awesome, you know I love her. But we need to think… stealthy. Like a cougar." Offering a small smile, he punched Edward playfully on the arm. "Like a mountain lion."

Edward's rage descended a few notches, but his eyes were still alert and hyperactive. "This is ridiculous," he seethed. "Why would I be the one to stay here? I'd read their minds if they were anywhere close. Foolish," he spat. "There is no way I can do this. I'm going insane—they have her…" his voice came to a whisper. "What do you suppose they're doing with her?"

The rhetorical question made Emmett went rigid, but he didn't turn to make eye contact with Rosalie, who hid her discomfort very well. Her thoughts were along the lines of fury, but she simply kept her eyes on the dark trees, circling the meadow once more, senses hyper alert.

"A coven of male vampires… want a newborn female vampire… and now they've kidnapped her… and taken her far away," Edward's voice was hoarse as he recited the facts, as if it were all dawning on him now.

A pained howl exploded from his lips, and he took off running, far away, toward where he hoped his Bella was.

-- -- --

My fingers curled slightly around the empty air in front of me, my fingertips straining against the nothingness. It was dark now, and it had been a few hours since Joseph had left, locking the door behind him. I'd spent the entire first hour searching for a way out, knowing that there had to be one, only to discover that the door was it.

I kicked my foot out, searching for a force field, angry that I couldn't find one. Did I need to be in peril for it to work? I seriously considered injuring myself just to make it work… maybe it could help me escape here, and find Edward…

A strong breeze on the roof normally would've made my skin freeze, but I did hug myself anyway. Thinking his name was difficult—not as difficult as when he'd been gone, but difficult all the same, if not only because of the possibilities if he didn't show up. Joseph hadn't seemed very nice.

My eyes narrowed as I thought of Joseph. Something about him still wasn't right—besides the fact that he'd kidnapped me, I mean.

Leaning against the wall, I uncurled my legs from beneath me and was surprised when they collided with an invisible wall. Shocked, I reached forward to lean against it, press my cheek against it, but I fell right through onto my face. The dust tickled my nose, but I didn't sneeze—another vampire oddity, I assumed.

Frustration bubbled up inside me and I groaned, smacking my head against the floor. How? How could I make this work?

Determined, I focused on the area in front of me and thrust my legs out again. They came, once again, in steady contact with a force field. Staying determined, I stretched forward and put my cheek against it, feeling lukewarm against my skin.

A grin spread across my face, but as it did, the wall disappeared.

My eyes narrowed again.

The wall went back up.

It took a few moments, but eventually realization dawned on me. I released the tension on my eyebrows, but continued to focus—the wall went down. When I focused and my eyebrows were pointing in, the force field would stay up.

I soon discovered that the harder I tried, the larger, more powerful wall I produced. When I didn't put a lot of strength behind them, I could kick them out with my foot. I soon discovered, however, that when my foot shattered the force field, a horrible pain ripped through my head.

For another hour, I spent time fiddling with my abilities, grinning as I felt myself grow stronger. Somehow, this could help me free myself.

The opportunity presented itself right then.

Three things happened simultaneously. The door flew open. The five brothers came plowing through the door. My hands flew out instinctively in front of me, my eyes narrowed, and my hands dropped. I kept concentration and hoped that I'd pinned the door open with a large, narrow force field.

"Brilliant work, Joseph," Reuben said, a grin lighting his face. Something about it was out of place, and I didn't like it.

But Joseph wasn't listening; he was trying to close the door.

I clenched my teeth and threw every single muscle in my body into keeping the shield in tact. I didn't trust myself with moving just yet, so I stayed in my spot in the corner.

"Guys—I don't know—"

Asher seemed to read his mind, and he leapt across the doorway to help him push the door shut.

Now I had to act fast.

Not even sure of what I was doing, I sprung to my feet, keeping concentrated, and bolted out the door, streaking through the night without a destination in mind. The fact that I was free was so utterly exciting that I endured _pain _when I didn't scream.

"_Edward!_" I screeched at the top of my lungs, knowing I was giving my location away to the brothers but hoping that Edward would somehow hear me, somehow come to my rescue. "_Edward, HELP!_"

My breath came in rough heaves, and then I realized that I was crying, though without tears. My hair streaked behind me as I dodged trees in a way I thought impossible.

"_Edward!_" I shouted again, and that was when someone behind me, pushing me onto the soft, dew-coated grass.

My sobs grew louder, the emptiness in my chest roaring. "_EDWARD!_" I screamed for the final time, hysteria scratching my throat. I focused on a force field and tried to push the person on top of me away, writhing in the grass, but it didn't work. He pinned his arms around me like a cage, and I was underneath him, trying to force away from his body.

In my mind I begged for Edward, hoping somehow he could hear my thoughts, though I knew he couldn't. I knew it was impossible. I felt myself detach; still conscious, still alive… but not attentive.

I could only dream that Edward would save me now.

**A/N:** This chapter took me a very long time to write, and I'm not even sure why. Sorry about the delay. BTW; my Anti-Demigods who aren't reading Dead Line? You'll regret it when you realize how amazing the story is. Just an FYI.

This is shorter, I'm sorry. I'm trying to figure out where to go from here… and I'm sort of hitting a blank. But don't worry! I'll come up with something :D

Review, por favor! My FEW DEMIGODS THAT ARE STILL AT DEMIGOD STATUS.

You can redeem yourself as a Demigod if you read Dead Line now and review… dun dun dun.


	12. Restraint

Phase  
_Restraint_

"Don't let me down; don't let me down.  
Don't let me down; don't let me down.  
I'm in love for the first time, don't you know it's gonna last.  
It's a love that lasts forever; it's a love that has no past."  
"Don't Let Me Down" The Beatles

Edward's acute ears _must _have heard it. How could they not? The sound of the love of his life crowing his name helplessly, as if she were being murdered, or attacked. At least, that was what I hoped. One of the brothers held me tight in his arms and began to run with me, at a slower pace than Joseph had taken me however many hours earlier.

Out of nowhere, I felt my captor's hard lips against mine, parting as I felt his hot breath against my mouth. I writhed against his hold on me, panic now shooting up to the red area in my head.

"_Bella!_" Edward shouted back, and he sounded alarmingly close. My captor swore loudly as he pulled away. His free hand fiddled with the buttons on my blouse, and I screeched again. "_Carlisle!_" Came Edward's voice again, and unnecessary breaths came easier into my lungs when he was around.

In the dim moonlight, I was suddenly aware that Asher was the one carrying me and murmuring various phrases in Russian. He lowered his lips to mine again, and reached for my shirt once more, and I struggled and struggled against his vice grip.

And then something exploded into the long field we were running away from—a silhouetted figure letting out a wicked snarl of hatred. _Edward_. Everything went vertical as Asher suddenly fell out from underneath me. A sigh of relief whooshed out from between Edward's teeth when he caught me and he placed me behind him, standing protectively in front of me.

Without hesitating, I wrapped my arms around his waist and stuck my face into his back, inhaling his scent. "Edward," I exhaled, feeling as if I would fall over.

"I love you," he turned and told me quickly his face a massacre of hatred and agony, but he then pivoted and faced Asher.

"Well, well, _well_," Asher chuckled, shaking his head as he looked from Edward to me. "Precious."

Carlisle appeared on my left, and Esme beside him. In moments, Emmett was directly behind Edward, right in front of me, holding his brother's arms like his life depended on it. Jasper was standing in front of them by inches. Alice took my right hand and Rosalie brought up the rear.

Asher's expression changed drastically.

"If you make another offensive move against our family in any way, shape, or form, I can safely say that you will regret it." Carlisle said, though I could tell by his clenched fists that he was anything but. His voice was level, but I could hear the slight tremble of anger beneath it. "We mean you no harm, but you've attempted to kidnap Bella from us. We are not afraid to fight, but we do not wish to."

Asher's top lip curled away from his teeth, and he backed away from us, turning his back and fleeing.

There was a howl from Edward and he took off after him, a race that Asher was bound to lose.

"Emmett!" Carlisle yelled, and Jasper and Emmett went to leap on top of Edward—I put up a force field and Edward ran headlong into it, stopping and looking forward, perplexed. Emmett and Jasper seized the opportunity to jump him then.

Alice cringed. "Good call, Carlisle… if he'd killed him, the future was _not _too bright." She looked at me with worry.

I ignored her. "Edward!" I cried, and shoved Jasper and Emmett out of the way to put my face in Edward's view. "Calm down, Edward. I'm all right… I'm alive, nothing's wrong." His beautiful face was twisted up in anger, and it frightened me. "Please, Edward… calm down, please, _please_."

The moment my tone changed to begging, Edward's anger seemed to have flushed away and he was sitting up, wrapping his arms tightly around me. "Bella," he breathed, and I sighed and settled farther into his embrace.

"Yes?" I mumbled pleasantly, not lifting my head up from his chest.

"What…" he trailed off quietly and sucked in a deep breath. "What did they do to you?"

The torture in his voice was so thick that it felt like molasses in my hair, seeping from his parted lips. His grip around me was deathly, like he'd never let me go again.

"Nothing," I whispered back, keeping my tone as honest as I could.

"Dammit, Bella!" Edward growled in my ear. Normally, he would've pulled me back at an arm's length, but he was still quivering, holding me tight to his chest without any evidence that he was going to let me go.

"Nothing," I repeated, louder this time. "He _kissed _me," I spat, and then literally followed up on the action. "He tried to unbutton my shirt."

I looked down, buttoned the three buttons he'd managed to undo, and looked back up. "But that was it," I clarified. "I spent most of my time in a dusty shack. It was small… maybe the size of my bedroom back at home."

I felt myself cringe at the word 'home.'

"And?" Edward questioned, signifying for me to continue. He pulled me away now, obviously quite hesitant, but he studied my face with admiration.

"It was just me and that _Joseph _character… the one who got away with me. He could mimic any ability around him, which was how he was invisible to get away with me. I managed to start perfecting my ability… as you saw earlier," I grinned. "That's what you ran into a few minutes ago."

A funny expression crossed his face then… one I didn't recognize.

Jasper let loose a quite audible gasp, staring intently at Edward. Alice was practically welded to him, fitting perfectly into his side. "Edward Cullen actually feels… _envy?_"

Emmett gasped, too, staring from Jasper to Edward to _me_.

"Of… _me?_" I asked, shocked.

Edward's face went blank. "No," he defended childishly.

"Oh, you _so _do!" Emmett interrupted, laughing. "You're soooo jealous of _Bel_—"

"Nice reunion and all," Esme put in quietly, smiling at her complete family, "but should we get out of here? What if he comes back with that coven of his—"

"Certainly," Carlisle piped up. "Let's run, and find a safer place. Possibly back to Maine, as we did so long ago?"

Edward and Alice nodded, so I agreed.

That was when I realized how ravenously thirsty I was.

"Edward?" I asked, my voice strained, and I suddenly realized how weak I felt.

"Bella?" His voice was worried immediately. "You lied to me," he accused. "He _did _do something to you—I can tell, but you insist upon keeping it from me—"

"I'm _thirsty_," I gasped out, and looked through the clearing eagerly.

Instantly, he grabbed my hand and dragged me through the woods. "Edward, wait." I tugged on his hand sharply and he turned around. "I can smell their blood like you can smell a human's. And I need… to learn how to hunt on my own."

The look on his face alerted me that if he could blanch, he would've. "Bella, I don't know—"

"Edward, I'm a _vampire_ now." I sounded the word out obviously, hoping he'd catch my point. "No animal in this forest is going to be able to hurt me. I'm thirsty, I was just held hostage for a good day or something. I'll hunt, and then we'll leave. You can even supervise if you'd like."

He grinned at my teasing voice. "Fine."

Smiling in satisfaction, I twirled, my hair fanning out behind me, and kicked up my heel as I stalked into the dark forest.

I hunted quickly but thoroughly, and Emmett told me he was very proud of the instincts that I seemed to have been reborn with. It was an odd compliment, but I took it all in stride. I wasn't exactly the most normal—…_person_ that you could encounter.

The run was long and easy—I understood now what Edward meant about danger not being a factor. Comfort was also in the fact that even if I _did _run into a tree, I would plow over it unharmed.

I had enough time to worry about the possibility of vampires getting splinters and then we were there, already in Maine, staring at endless forests blanketed with a thin white layer of snow, which I noticed now was still falling from the sky.

My nose wrinkled up. "Snow?"

Though I'd never liked the snow before, I now almost respected it—it was crystalline, cold, and individual from all the others… just like Edward.

As I noticed this, my eyes flashed up to Edward, who was wearing his "I-wish-I-could-read-your-mind-right-about-now" pouty face. I looked down, hiding a blush that would never return, and his finger found my chin.

"That blush," he murmured, studying my face with his gorgeous topaz eyes. "There's nothing quite like it, is there?"

"Was," I muttered back, sad now. "There _was _nothing like it."

"Well, you still react as if it were there," he teased. "I'd say that's as good as anything."

Then, something cold and mushy came in contact with my head; sounding like a missile as it came soaring in my direction.

Edward had enough time to growl, bend over to pick up a small pile of snow, and stand up, and then another snowball from Emmett smashed into the side of his face.

"SNOWBALL FIGHT!" Jasper shouted, and I ducked for cover.

* * *

Yay! Angsty angst over… for now.

I've started another chapter fic; it's just a short story though. It's about Charlie, and how jealous he is of Bella and Edward's relationship, and how he falls in love with a new chick in Forks. Ooo la laaaa.

Ummm... what else. OH! This song by the Beatles is one of my all-time faves, probably second to A Day in the Life and Eleanor Rigby. :D

Reviews, please! (:

OH -- AND WHO ELSE IS HATING TANYA'S GUTS CAUSE OF THE QUOTE OF THE DAY!? "Ah, Edward, I've missed you" or WHATEVER. She's a FUCKING MANEATER, THAT'S WHAT SHE IS.

Rawr.


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